One weekend when I was younger, my family and I went on a camping trip up in the mountains. Planning for good weather, we loaded up our bikes and planned for other outdoor activities. We got there and once we had finished setting up our campsite, we decided to go for a bike ride. A couple miles into the ride, clouds began to roll in, and a storm began to brew.

We kids were very adamant about pointing out the dark clouds, raising our concerns about the incoming storm, and making our suggestion to turn around to head back to our campsite. My mom simply answered with, “Oh it’s going to be okay, I think it’s clearing”. So we continued our bike ride. Then the rain began sprinkling on us, and when we again suggested to turn back, my mom said, “Don’t worry, it’s clearing”. So we continued our bike ride. Then the storm held back no longer and it began to downpour. As we finished the bike ride, riding through puddles and getting drenched in rain water, my mom continued to yell out, “It’s definitely clearing!”. Returning to our campsite we ran inside, dried off and changed into some non-soaking wet clothes. That storm didn’t let up the entire weekend, but as we played card games and sang songs inside the tent, we found it very comical when my mom would let us know that she still thought the storm was about to clear.

See, if someone filled up a glass halfway, set it in front of my mother and asked if the glass was half full or half empty, we as a family joke that she would say neither. She would either look at the glass and see it halfway full of water as well as halfway full of air, and state that then the glass is actually full, or she would grab the glass and find a way to fill it all the way up. That’s how I was raised. To find the good in the not so good, or find a way to make my own good. The world is full of ugly things, but I have found that in darkness, there is always light. There is beauty in this incredibly broken world.

Brokenness is found in fear. People are afraid in many different times during life including when there is disaster or tragedy. In both it is easy to hold onto feelings of hopelessness or injustice. Things happen out of our own control and many times these things are in no way fair. Fear often leads to lack of trust or outrage. And yet in the midst of fear, there is light. When people are afraid, they come together. Community is created and support is built.

Brokenness is found in failure. In every aspect of life there are places to fail. Failing tells us that we are incompetent and inadequate. We feel disappointed and begin to doubt ourselves. Failure can so easily leave lasting marks on those who experience it if they cannot grow from it. My parents have always told me that grades in school are simply letters on a page. Whether I fail or ace a test or a class, it will never be defining to my intelligence or who I am. I was taught no matter what I do, there is a way to get back up no matter how far I have fallen. Failure creates a chance to learn from mistakes and in learning there is growth, and in growth there is beauty.

Brokenness is found in heartbreak. Whether there is a loss of life, or loss of relationship or a connection, it always hurts. In a loss of life, people feel a great deal of sorrow. In these times there is an immediate response to feel lonely and empty. While mourning a loss, heartbreak gives the opportunity to remember and celebrate the life that was lost. When there is heartbreak due to the ending of a relationship, it is similar to the feeling of failure. An ending however, beautifully provides an opening to new beginnings. Heartbreak is felt in the void of the relationship that was once there, but that grief it is a beautiful reminder that the relationship was an important and impactful part of our life which is something to honor.

Sometimes the hardest place to find beauty in this world is in its ugliness. People are daily faced with hard realities and struggles. There are moments when the storms become too much and you feel confined by the darkness of the world. Brokenness is in every part of life and it hurts. There are moments when I personally can’t see the silver lining in my own darkness. And there are times when it feels like the storm won’t cease, but that is when I hear my mom’s voice in my head telling me, “It’s clearing.” For the rest of our camping trip, the storm never did clear, but as a family we were still able to enjoy our trip together. The truth of life is there will be dark storms, and those storms can be painful and can make us weak, but finding beauty in the storms can make us strong… there is always hope of a clearing.

2 Corinthians 12:9,10 “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. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”