Fix It

Broken things need fixing.  But, fixing broken things is not always something we are eager to do.  While the obvious response to broken things is to fix them, there are other alternatives.  One, we can ignore the brokenness.  We can go ahead as if nothing is broken.  We can choose to work around the brokenness with an "I'll get by" attitude.  Or, we can choose to be satisfied with less than the best which can be done.  Fixing something may require some effort or expense and we may not be willing to expend either so we just use what is broken even though it is broken.

 

I learned all this the other day from a broken lawn mower.  Every time I got it out to cut grass, I had to spend an inordinate amount of time getting it running.  I finally took it to the shop and now the issues created by the brokenness are gone.  But, broken lawn mowers are nothing compared to broken relationships.  We learn to live with that kind of brokenness in our lives and no good springs forth from it.  Fixing broken relationships can be costly.  It may cost some time.  It may require us to cease counting who is right and who is wrong.  However, the biggest cost comes clothed in our ego.  There is the real problem that has to be fixed when there is a broken relationship.

 

Jesus had little time and energy to exert on broken relationships.  His attitude was simple.  "If it is broke, fix it.  Don't think about who is at fault, just fix it."  This may be a rough rendering of Matthew 5:23-24, but it gets at the core of what Jesus was teaching in this part of the Sermon on the Mount.  When we read those Words of His closely, we realize that fixing a broken relationship has nothing to do with determining blame.  As far as He is concerned, if a relationship is seen as broken, we are to fix it.