Mending While Still Broken

I had a recent conversation with a man whose life has been completely upended by a mysterious illness that only seems to get worse. Living with such a debilitating condition can discourage even those with the strongest faith. I consider this man to have remarkable and resilient faith, but he wanted to know why the ministry is called Broken and Mended when people like him are only experiencing brokenness.

Not only is that a great question, but it also gives me the opportunity to share how I came to name the ministry Broken and Mended and to clarify what I mean by the ‘mended’ part.

Broken and Mended began in the late summer of 2018. I was brainstorming name ideas while reading a book by Dave Furman called Kiss The Wave. He is a missionary who suffers from an incredibly painful chronic condition. In one of his chapters, he describes the Japanese art form of Kintsugi. These are the words that inspired not only our name but also our logo:

I have spent some time in Japan (six mission trips), and so this illustration of broken pottery mended together by gold, as a picture of what God does for us in our brokenness, was quite compelling. My original brainstorming list of names for this ministry is lost in the cloud somewhere, but I do remember considering the name “Broken then Mended.” However, I thought such a name implied we were one thing (broken) and then another (mended). In reality, we are simultaneously broken AND mended.

It isn’t hard to understand the “broken” part of the name. We live in broken bodies even if we don’t have a chronic health condition. Every human on the planet is inflicted with the disease of mortality. People with chronic pain and illness are more prone to recognize this hard truth because our bodies are always reminding us of it.

But what do I mean by “mended”? It is God who holds us together where we are otherwise falling apart. This mending showcases the truth that instead of despising weakness, weakness is God’s platform for demonstrating his strength (2 Cor. 12:9-10). This mending is experienced by faith and through the presence of God in our lives. It enables us to survive on our worst days and look ahead to a day when brokenness will no longer exist anywhere in God’s new creation.

Unfortunately, the brokenness remains for now. And because that brokenness is so disruptive and the pain ever-present, it can be hard to believe you are mended at the same time. Mending is not necessary when there is no brokenness. At the coming of the Lord, we will not merely be mended but made whole. We will finally experience the shalom that God desired to give us in the Garden of Eden.

Experiencing God’s mending in our current situation is what allows us to find purpose in what would otherwise be purposeless suffering. If I am going to hurt anyway, then I want God’s strength to be made known where I am weak. I want my brokenness and mendedness to bring glory to God and proclaim to others that not even constant pain can sever me from my hope in Christ. This is what it means to be broken AND mended.

In my weakness, I am not strong enough to always maintain this perspective. But that’s the beauty of it; it isn’t about my strength but God’s! God himself lives in us through the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19-20), and our brokenness gives the best opportunity for others to witness it. When they do, it is not us they will praise but God. Hopefully, they, too, will discover God’s sufficient grace to mend them in their brokenness, just as God has done for us.

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[1] David Furman, Kiss the Wave: Embracing God in Your Trials (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018), 102–3.

David Heflin

Executive Director

David Heflin is the founder, former president, and current executive director for Broken and Mended. He is married to Katie and has three kids. David was a preacher for over 20 years until he stepped down to focus fully on the mission of Broken and Mended. He started Broken and Mended in 2018 after being inspired by his own battle with chronic pain to connect other hurting people to Jesus and each other. David has a B.A. in Bible from Oklahoma Christian University and a Master of Arts in Religion from Azusa Pacific University. He resides in Woodward, OK.

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