The God of our Brokenness - Fr. Mike Schmitz

Devotional

Day 1: We Are Beautiful but Broken, Made for Love

From the very beginning, God created the world and called it good—and not just good, but beautiful. Humanity, too, was declared beautiful and good, made in God’s image and meant to live in unashamed relationship with Him and with each other. Yet, even as we recognize our beauty and goodness, we must also acknowledge our brokenness; the world is not as it was meant to be, and neither are we. Still, God’s declaration over us remains: you are beautiful, you are good, even in your brokenness. Take time today to sit with the truth that God looks at you and calls you beautiful, not because you are perfect, but because you are His. [12:09]

Genesis 1:31; 2:25 (ESV)
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Reflection: In what ways do you struggle to believe that God sees you as beautiful and good, even in your brokenness? How might you let His declaration shape your self-understanding today?

Day 2: Love Always Involves Sacrifice

After the fall, God’s words to Adam and Eve were not curses but remedies, teaching that in a world now broken, love would always involve sacrifice. Whether it is the pain of childbirth or the toil of daily work, these experiences remind us that to love deeply is to give of ourselves, often at great cost. Even God Himself demonstrates this truth, clothing Adam and Eve with garments that required sacrifice. In every act of true love, there is a cost, and yet it is a cost worth paying, for it is the very heart of what it means to be made in God’s image. [20:53]

Genesis 3:16-21 (ESV)
To the woman he said,
“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be for your husband,
and he shall rule over you.”
And to Adam he said,
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”
The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

Reflection: What is one relationship or responsibility in your life where loving well will require real sacrifice today? Are you willing to pay that cost?

Day 3: God’s Love for Us Is Proven in Christ’s Sacrifice

God’s love is not just spoken but proven—demonstrated most powerfully in the sacrifice of Jesus. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us, showing that love is not reserved for the worthy but is poured out for the broken, the lost, and the undeserving. The glory of God is revealed not in displays of power or perfection, but in the suffering, marred face of Jesus, who willingly bore the cost of loving us. To truly understand love, we must look to the cross and see what it cost God to call us His own. [25:25]

Romans 5:6-8 (ESV)
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Reflection: When you consider the cost Jesus paid to love you, how does it change the way you see your own worth and the way you love others?

Day 4: Beholding Jesus and Letting Yourself Be Held

To live the Christian life is to both behold Jesus—truly gazing upon His face, especially in His suffering—and to allow ourselves to be held by Him. This requires slowing down, making space in our hurried, crowded lives, and having the humility to let Him see and embrace us in our brokenness and shame. There is no darkness or pain that Jesus has not entered; there is nothing in your life that He has not seen or cannot heal. The invitation is to stop hiding, to step out of the shadows, and to let yourself be seen and loved by Him. [40:42]

Psalm 34:18 (ESV)
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Reflection: What is one area of brokenness or shame you have been hiding from God? Will you take time today to bring it into His light and let yourself be held by Him?

Day 5: Making Room to Love—Slowing Down for What Matters Most

Our lives are often too full, too hurried, and too distracted to love well—either God or those around us. The point of life is not to accomplish more or to be “superhuman,” but to have a heart like God’s, to share His love, and to let Him make us whole. If we are always rushing, we will miss the moments that matter most: the chance to behold God’s love, to be held by Him, and to share that love with others. Today, choose to slow down, make space, and let love—costly, sacrificial, and beautiful—be your priority. [48:14]

Mark 6:31 (ESV)
And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.

Reflection: What is one practical way you can slow down or create space in your schedule today so you can love God and others more intentionally?

Sermon Summary

It is easy to look around and feel like you don’t belong, especially in a room full of people who seem to have it all together. But the truth is, you are meant to be here. You matter, and your presence is important. Life often fills up with so many good things that we find ourselves in a constant hurry, unable to love as we want to, or even as we are called to. Our hearts long to love deeply, but our lives are so full that we struggle to make room for what matters most.

From the very beginning, God declared creation—and you—good and beautiful. Yet, the story of humanity is also a story of brokenness. When Adam and Eve hid from God in their shame, God’s heart broke, not out of anger, but out of sorrow for what was lost. Even in their failure, God sought them out, offering not curses, but remedies: reminders that in a broken world, love always involves sacrifice. The pain of childbirth and the toil of work are not punishments, but invitations to learn that real love costs something.

This is the pattern woven through all of Scripture and our lives: love and sacrifice are inseparable. To love is to give, to lose, to hurt, and to hope. God himself demonstrates this most fully in Jesus, whose glory is revealed not in power or miracles, but in suffering and weakness. The face of Christ, crowned with thorns and marked by pain, is the ultimate revelation of God’s love—a love that pays the highest price for us, even while we are still sinners.

We often resist this love, feeling unworthy or too broken to be seen, let alone embraced. But there is no darkness, no shame, no pain that Jesus has not entered. The invitation is to behold him—to truly look at his face, to see what it cost him to love us—and to let ourselves be held by him, even in our most broken places. The stories of those who have suffered deeply, like Jane and Father Ben, show us that the miracle is not a life without scars, but a life that finds hope, endurance, and love in the midst of suffering.

You are beautiful and broken, good and broken. You have not lost your worth in your brokenness. But you will never be whole until you let God into your pain, until you behold his gaze and allow yourself to be held in his arms. This is the heart of life: to love as he loves, to be known and loved in our brokenness, and to share that love with others.

Key Takeaways

1. Love Always Involves Sacrifice True love is not free of cost; it always requires giving something up, whether it’s time, comfort, or even our own desires. In a world that is beautiful but broken, love is proven and purified through sacrifice. This is not a punishment, but a remedy—a way to become more like God, who gave everything for us. [18:31]
2. God’s Glory Is Revealed in Weakness The most profound revelation of God’s love and power is not in miracles or strength, but in the suffering and weakness of Christ. The face of Jesus, marred and crowned with thorns, shows us that God’s love is willing to go to the lowest places for us. Our own brokenness becomes a place where God’s glory can shine if we allow him in. [24:08]
3. Behold and Be Held The Christian life is about both beholding Jesus—truly seeing what it cost him to love us—and allowing ourselves to be held by him, especially in our shame and pain. We often resist being seen or embraced in our brokenness, but there is no place too dark for his love. Wholeness comes not from hiding, but from letting ourselves be seen and loved by God. [40:42]
4. You Are Beautiful and Broken Your worth is not lost in your brokenness. God declares you good and beautiful, even as you are. The journey to wholeness is not about erasing scars, but about letting God into the places of pain and shame, trusting that you are loved and wanted, right where you are. [48:55]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:35] - Feeling Out of Place and Belonging
[01:10] - Honoring Sacrifice and Presence
[03:05] - Blessings and Family Update
[04:21] - Suffering and the Question “Why Me?”
[06:19] - Judged on Love Alone
[07:39] - The Problem of a Full Life
[10:51] - Creation: Good and Beautiful
[12:44] - The Fall: Hiding from God
[15:13] - Hearing God’s Voice in Brokenness
[17:51] - Love Always Involves Sacrifice
[20:18] - God Follows Us into the Wilderness
[22:49] - The Cost of God’s Love
[24:08] - The Glory of God in Christ’s Suffering
[27:19] - Witnessing Love in Weakness: Father Ben’s Story
[33:26] - Love Can’t Be Hurried
[34:47] - Jane’s Story: Hope in Suffering
[38:10] - God Goes to the Lowest Places
[40:42] - Behold and Be Held
[43:20] - Nightbirde: Singing in the Dark
[45:55] - The Miracle of Enduring Love
[48:55] - Letting God Into Our Brokenness
[49:42] - Closing and Blessing

Bible Study Guide

Small Group Bible Study Guide: “Beautiful and Broken: Love, Sacrifice, and Belonging”

Bible Reading

Genesis 1:27, 31 (ESV)
> So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
> And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.

Genesis 3:8-9, 21 (ESV)
> And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
> ...
> And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

Romans 5:6-8 (ESV)
> For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Observation Questions

In Genesis 1, what does God declare about creation and about humanity? What words are used to describe what God sees? ([11:29])
After Adam and Eve disobey God, what is their first reaction when they hear God in the garden? What does God do in response? ([13:19])
According to Romans 5, when did Christ die for us—while we were what? ([25:25])
In the sermon, what are some of the ways God responds to Adam and Eve’s failure? What does he provide for them? ([20:18])

Interpretation Questions

The sermon says that the pain of childbirth and the toil of work are not punishments, but “remedies” or invitations to learn that love always involves sacrifice. How does this change the way we might view suffering or hard work in our lives? ([17:51])
The speaker describes God’s heart as breaking, not raging, when Adam and Eve hide from him. What does this suggest about God’s attitude toward our brokenness and shame? ([16:34])
Romans 5 says that God’s love is shown “while we were still sinners.” What does this reveal about the nature of God’s love compared to human love? ([25:25])
The sermon says that God’s glory is revealed not in power or miracles, but in the suffering and weakness of Christ. Why might God choose to reveal himself this way? ([24:08])

Application Questions

The sermon began by talking about feeling out of place or like you don’t belong. Have you ever felt this way in a church or group? What helped you feel like you mattered, or what could have helped? ([01:50])
The speaker says that our lives are often “too full” and that we’re in too much of a hurry to love well. What are some “good things” in your life that might be crowding out space for loving God or others? Is there something you need to say no to in order to say yes to love? ([07:39])
The sermon teaches that “love always involves sacrifice.” Can you think of a recent time when loving someone cost you something—time, comfort, your own desires? How did you respond? ([18:31])
The story of Adam and Eve shows them hiding in shame, but God seeks them out. Are there areas of your life where you are hiding from God or others because of shame or brokenness? What would it look like to let God into those places? ([14:37])
The speaker says that God’s glory is revealed in Christ’s suffering and weakness. How does this challenge the way you think about your own weaknesses or scars? Is there a place in your life where you need to let God’s love meet you in your weakness? ([24:08])
The sermon invites us to “behold and be held”—to look at Jesus and let ourselves be loved by him, even in our pain. What makes it hard for you to let yourself be seen and loved by God? What is one step you could take this week to open yourself to his love? ([40:42])
The speaker says, “You are beautiful and broken, good and broken. You have not lost your worth in your brokenness.” How does this truth challenge or encourage you? How can you remind yourself of your worth when you feel broken? ([48:55])

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