The Difference Between Brokenness and Limitations

Last updated on: April 26, 2012 at 9:45 am by Amy Julia Becker

The Difference Between Brokenness and Limitations 2012-04-26T09:45:46-04:00 Amy Julia Becker

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Brokenness and limitations are not the same thing.

Brokenness, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, is not good. It comes as a result of sin in our world. As Jesus demonstrated throughout his ministry, God wants to heal broken bodies, broken minds, broken souls, and broken communities. God wants to heal our broken world.

But limitations existed before sin entered the picture, and limitations will remain. Limitations are a part of what make us human. They keep us both dependent upon God and connected to one another. Limitations provoke trust, community, and humility. God gives us limitations. Limitations are good.

Christians need to work to understand the difference between brokenness and limitations. To the degree that we do, we will on the one hand be able to understand people with disabilities in their common humanity—as ones with both not-good brokenness and good limitations, just like everyone else. And on the other hand, we will be able to name as sin the attempt to overcome all limitations.

This might be one of the reasons I recoil when people make comparisons between having a child with Down syndrome and having a child in a debilitating car accident. A car crash simply increases the brokenness within a person’s body (which is not to say that God cannot work good out of such brokenness, simply that the brokenness should be acknowledged as such). Down syndrome involves brokenness, but it also involves limitations. Down syndrome is a complicated mix of beauty (often manifest in limitations, but also in particular abilities) and brokenness.

In our culture at large, we generally try to ignore our brokenness and deny our limitations (the sky’s the limit! and so forth). In the church, we often assume that limitations are the same as brokenness when they are actually quite different. Brokenness–which can result, of course, in limitations–is what God longs and intends to heal. Certainly disability can involve brokenness, although often the brokenness is more external than it is intrinsic to the disability. Notice that Jesus rarely simply heals a disability, but almost always insists that the disabled person be restored to community. Sure, it’s great that the blind man can see. But it’s even more important that he be restored to community.

Disability aside, for all of us, limitations are a part of what make us creatures, not God, and they are a part of what allow us to be in relationship with one another and with God. They will continue in some form even in heaven, and they will be received as gifts because they will enable us to–with humility and confidence–give and receive to one another and to receive what we need from the Lord.

To read more on this topic, you might check out Sharon Hodde Miller’s reflections on my talk from the Festival of Faith and Writing: On the Path to Perfection, as well as the comments there. Or an essay I wrote about suffering and disability for First Things a few years back, The Good Life.

Previous Post

April 25, 2012

Perfectly Human: A Little Extra (and Mother's day is coming up...)

Next Post

April 27, 2012 Hurry or Help?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Articles Books Disability Down Syndrome Faith family Perfectly Human Uncategorized

Select a Month February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 September 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz