I. Introduction
It confirmed what every child already knew. They lay motionless and lifeless while we are in their vicinity. They rely on our imaginations to create storylines and adventures for them and our muscles to move them. However, we all knew it. It kept us up at night. One eye on the toy box. Ear trained for the slightest squeak or peep. Toy Story finally confirms the fact that our toys come alive when we leave the room.
Toy Story follows the escapades of the toys in Andy's Room. There are the standard toys found in every boy”s room ... army men, Mr. and finally a Mrs. Potato Head, a slinky dog, a piggy bank, a remote control car and then of course we meet the star of the show . . . a pull string cowboy rag doll by the name of Sheriff Woody Pride. We discover in Toy Story 2 that Woody is a toy based on a 1950's western children's show called "Woody's Roundup." He is the unquestioned top dog, the favorite and most preferred toy owned by Andy and therefore, he is also the unchallenged leader of all the other toys. In Toy Story 1, this title is challenged by an interloper when at Andy’s birthday party, he is given the newest toy on the market . . . an astronaut action figure by the name of Buzz Lightyear. Toy Story 1 chronicles this tenuous relationship as the rank of toys is questioned and finally a friendship/partnership is solidified between the two. However, in Toy Story 2, Woody is once again the featured toy as Andy is about to go on his annual pilgrimage to a week long "Cowboy Camp" . . .
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Woody is broken. He is unable to go to camp due to the tear in his arm. So, Andy’s mom shelves Woody. This leads to Woody’s nightmare. The nightmare is that his brokenness has now caused him to be unwanted, unusable, and discarded by Andy. Then, for those of you unfamiliar with the story line, Woody is stolen by a toy collector and temporarily repaired in an attempt by the collector to sell Woody as part of a complete set of Woody’s Round Up toy collection. However, in an escape attempt Woody’s arm is torn again. Finally, Woody, with the help of his toy friends, escapes and returns to Andy's bedroom. When Andy arrives home from camp he picks Woody up and he repairs the doll's arm and peace is restored to Toy Story land.
Broken. Discarded. Useless. Unwanted. For many of us that sounds like our story. It is a nightmare. We find ourselves mishandled and shelved by others who labeled us as broken and beyond repair. Or, in some cases, some of us shelve ourselves and discard our own destiny because of our brokenness. There are certainly a number of accounts in scripture that we could point to to see the story of Woody played out in real life. Perhaps one of the most obvious is found in Exodus.
TEXT: Exodus 2:11-15
One day, many years later when Moses had grown up and become a man, he went out to visit his fellow Hebrews and saw the terrible conditions they were under. During his visit he saw an Egyptian knock a Hebrew to the ground—one of his own Hebrew brothers! Moses looked this way and that to be sure no one was watching, then killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. The next day as he was out visiting among the Hebrews again, he saw two of them fighting. “What are you doing, hitting your own Hebrew brother like that?” he said to the one in the wrong. “And who are you?” the man demanded. “I suppose you think you are our prince and judge! And do you plan to kill me as you did that Egyptian yesterday?” When Moses realized that his deed was known, he was frightened. And sure enough, when Pharaoh heard about it he ordered Moses arrested and executed.
Exodus 4:10-12
Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."
He had been shelved by others. Rejected by others. Then as a result becomes identified in his own mind by his brokenness. So, he shelves himself. Convinced that his owner/maker couldn't and wouldn't want to use him he tries to stay out of sight ... shelved. What is shelving you? Is your heart broken? Is your faith broken? Is your confidence broken, trust broken, hope broken?
Brokenness is attractive to God.
Our society treats brokenness as ugly and something that should be hidden. We shove the broken into out of the way places. But the Psalmist says in Psalms 34:17 that God is close to those who are broken hearted and crushed in spirit. That means when we are broken God is closest. He is attracted to, drawn to brokenness. This also means that since God is close to those that are broken hearted and crushed in spirit, if there is distance it is our fault not His. Our brokenness should bring us closer to our master not produce distance. Notice first indication of God talking to Moses was after he was broken. Get off the shelf...
We can allow brokenness to shelve us or select us. Brokenness may put you on the shelf, but you don’t have stay on the shelf. Your story may be one of brokenness but we need to be encouraged that the Psalmist not only declares that our brokenness attracts God but it also activates God.
Psalms 147:3-4
‘He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.’
Your brokenness doesn't have to be fatal or final. You can be healed and the good news is that our brokenness causes God to act on our behalf. God is in the business of mending. Redeeming. Patching. Rebirthing. Renewing and restoring.
So, your brokenness is not the final word. Moses spends 40 years on the backside of the desert, seemingly shelved and silenced, but God was healing him so he could use him! If you are broken, the next step after recognizing the brokenness isn't to wallow in it or to give up, but rather to allow your brokenness to be healed so you can be used.
“When will we learn that the gospel is woundedness healed not woundedness avoided”
Richard Rohr
We tend to avoid dealing with the very thing God wants to heal and use!
Broken doesn't equal useless.
Brokenness is thrown away and discarded in our society. But in the Kingdom God uses what is broken. God works through brokenness. Broken loaves and fish distributed to feed. Broken men distributed to bring change to the world.
Vance Havner once said, “God uses broken things. Broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever.”
The greater the breaking the greater potential for use.
What man discards . . . God destines. Some of you are afraid that because you are broken, damaged goods, walk with a limp that you are useless or used up. However, I want to encourage you to learn from Woody or from Moses . . . God uses the broken to do great things.
1 Corinthians 1:27 - Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.
Our brokenness simply produces gaps and cracks that reveal God. When we hide our brokenness we hide God. Our brokenness makes it possible for God to break out and be seen in us! He isn't seen in our strength but in our weakness!
2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
That is why outward breaking usually precedes inward breaking! Moses, prior to inward brokenness, took matters into his own hands. He operated in judgement. He operated in anger. But the outward breaking produced an inward breaking that enables him to be used by God. Brokenness is necessary to break things off so that He can break out. The inward issues aren't dealt with unless outward brokenness forces us to be honest about what is going on in our life.
So, don't despise brokenness. Don't fear it. It is the necessary step to being used by God.
“It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply." "For He brings us through these tests as preparation for greater use in the Kingdom. You must pass the test first.” AW Tozer
Or as Gene Edwards says - "God has a university. It's a small school. Few enroll, even fewer graduate. In God's sacred school of submission and brokenness, why are there so few students? Because all who are in this school must suffer much pain." - But it is the path to graduating to greatness.
If you are broken, you are ready! Get off the shelf and let God use you!
