Sunday, January 18, 2015

Broken


Societally,
we feel the need 
to assess blame
for whatever happens

We seek the weakness
which must be the reason 
for nothing breaks
unless something is weak

This is a misnomer
It takes a great quality of strength 
to allow oneself to be weak
and continue, even broken

When we are born
we come into this world
weak and nearly defenseless
without even knowing 
we come, needing someone

As we grow
we rely on the strength
and independence
of our parents
as we watch them raise us

They teach us
necessarily so
to be independent
to 'stand on our own two feet'

We learn, by rote
when something is broken
there are two things to choose
fix it or throw it away

As a parent looking back
I see now, the error of my teaching
if I taught my children
that weakness is powerless
and that broken is useless

As the sum of humanity
we are all weak sometimes
and often brokenness
creeps into our lives

Just as when we were born,
by the greatness of design
Life, fate, or God
(call it whichever you choose)
has placed those with strength
into our lives

In these times of weakness
whether short or long
they are there for us
to utilize their strength

In times of brokenness
again, whether short or long
they are there for us
to hold us together

We all need someone at times
someone to hold us up
someone to hold us together
someone to get us through those times

Brokenness is not weakness
the strength required
just to continue in these times
is far greater than ever required before

Our character
the sum of our experiences
with the addition of our actions
will never be defined by our brokenness

We are who we are
when we are weakest
when we are most broken
when that strength
that we have forgotten 
comes shining through

The strength
to take another person’s hand
to lean on the shoulder of a friend
to allow love to bind our brokenness

It is your great strength
that will allow you to be weak
that will allow you to be broken
and will carry you through
with help, a little or a lot

Strong things break
inflexible things shatter
strength is perfected
in times of weakness

If you must be weak
be strong through it
if you must be broken
be flexible enough to lean

Brokenness
has never been
about weakness

Broken
Strong

Ron Simpson, Jr.
January 18, 2015


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