B-r-ok-en, not Beaten by Alan Anderson

 

“Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

—2 Corinthians 4:16-18.

 

 

“B” is for “Broken,” as I give attention to our writing prompt for February.

 

I am Broken

 

My years as a pastor and healthcare chaplain allowed me many opportunities to learn about people. My greatest learning curve came from the people I came alongside who grappled with terminal illness. There were also those who drifted into their own world because of the grip of dementia. Through them, I learned I am broken.

 

In my last year as a chaplain, a long-term care resident I met made an indelible mark on my soul. She could no longer take care of herself at home and had no family members to care for her close by. The care facility I worked in became her best option. Dementia had now become part of her life.

 

The first visit I had with this woman remains one of my cherished memories. She invited me into her room as if we had known each other for years. In my typical fashion, I glanced over her room and noticed poems framed and pinned to the walls. I asked her about the poems. With the enthusiasm similar to a younger child, she informed me she wrote them.

 

As our conversation continued, she asked me if I liked to write. When I told her I was also a writer, she giggled again. She informed me she could no longer write as she once did. Her next statement is one I remember to this day. She said, “I would like to write more, but the words are all jumbled in my head. My brain is broken. I can’t get the words out.”

Broken Words

 

There are times the words we write may be broken. They fall and almost collapse on to the page in need of guidance and love. Broken words come from a broken writer. Broken by personal sin or damage caused by other people. A writer’s words may also reflect the woundedness of a broken world. We may waste away because of our grief over the lost condition of the world.

 

The lady I mentioned earlier seemed to have accepted her brokenness. She acknowledged her condition with a smile. While we talked, she held my hand at one point. Perhaps this was a way of her connecting with me. She looked into my eyes, smiled, held my hand, and told me about her writing like a mother talking about her children. Praise God for such innocent expressions in a broken world.

 

Broken, not Beaten.

 

As Christians, we can show the world to be broken does not mean we are beaten. We can still bring hope and healing to our readers through what we write. This means we do not lose heart; we do not quit. Our brokenness is not wasted. We can all be healers.

 

Be A Healer

By Alan Anderson,

 

Be a healer,

Turn coarse words into healing balm.

Looks beyond narrative meant to cripple.

Show the way to peace, true peace,

beyond understanding,

Soaked in love.

 

Shoulders of healers,

Are where those with weary heads rest.

Outstretched arms provide an oasis for hugs,

Closeness allows hearts to beat together.

 

Walk into the world to live what love is,

Hold the hands of those who stumble,

Those who fall in the darkness,

For we are all broken.

 

Dear writer friends,

How do you incorporate your own brokenness into your poetry or prose?

 

 

 

Alan lives in Deroche, B.C. with his wife, Terry, and their poodle, Charlie. He contributed stories to Good Grief People by Angel Hope Publishing, 2017; Story by Story: The Power of a Writer, Unstoppable Writers Publishing, 2018; Easter Stories & More by InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship, 2021. He is currently working on a book expressing the grief of grieving grandparents entitled “Hidden Poetic Voices: A Reflective Work of Grief, Faith, and Poetry.” Alan periodically writes articles for FellowScript Magazine. He has written posts for our InScribe blog since 2015. Blog: https://scarredjoy.ca.