When God Mends What's Broken: A Journey Through Body, Soul and Spirit

There's something deeply human about brokenness. We all carry it—some wear it visibly in their bodies, others hide it carefully in the corners of their hearts. But what if brokenness isn't the end of our story? What if it's actually the place where God does some of His most profound work?

The Three Parts of Our Humanity

To understand how God mends us, we first need to understand what makes us human. We're complex beings made up of three interconnected parts: body, soul, and spirit. Our bodies are the physical vessels we inhabit. Our souls encompass our minds, wills, and emotions—the way we think, what we love, how we feel. And our spirits? That's the part of us designed to connect with the Divine.

When we talk about God mending us, we're talking about restoration that touches all three dimensions of our existence.

The Mending of the Spirit

The most fundamental brokenness we experience is spiritual. It traces all the way back to a garden, to a forbidden fruit, to a choice that fractured humanity's connection with God. When Adam and Eve ate from the tree, they didn't just break a rule—they broke something essential within themselves, a spiritual fracture that would echo through every generation.

For centuries, humanity waited. We waited for a solution we couldn't create ourselves. And then Jesus came.

In John 3, Jesus tells a religious leader something revolutionary: "Unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God." This isn't about physical rebirth—it's about spiritual renewal. It's about that broken part of us being completely remade, mended by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

This is what we call salvation. We were once lost, but now we're found. We were once broken, but now we're mended. We were once far from God, but He has drawn us near.

But here's the catch: this mending only happens when we admit we need it. Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." At first glance, this seems backwards. How can being spiritually poor be a blessing?

The answer is simple yet profound: we're only blessed when we recognize our poverty. Without Christ, we're not just poor spiritually—we're destitute. And when we come to God with empty hands, admitting we have nothing to offer, that's when His grace floods in. That's when the mending begins.

The Mending of the Body

Jesus spent much of His earthly ministry healing bodies. He restored sight to the blind, strength to the paralyzed, and even life to the dead. He was—and is—extraordinarily good at physical healing.

Yet here's a truth that troubles many: Jesus didn't heal everyone. At the Pool of Siloam, surrounded by crowds of broken, hurting people, He healed one person. Just one.

This reality confronts us with an uncomfortable ambiguity. God could heal anyone at any time, but He doesn't always do so. He heals when He wants, how He wants, for His glory—and sometimes He doesn't explain why.

Even the Apostle Paul, a man who knew how to pray if anyone did, asked God three times to remove a "thorn in his flesh." God's answer? "No. My grace is sufficient for you."

This creates a tension we must hold carefully. We believe God still heals. We believe He still performs miracles. We pray for healing with faith and expectation. But we must place our hope in God Himself, not in the miracle we want Him to produce.

There's a dangerous theology that circulates in some circles: if you just pray hard enough, believe strongly enough, follow the right formula, you'll be healed. This theology has crushed countless faithful people who prayed desperately and weren't healed, leaving them to wonder if their faith was deficient.

The truth is more mysterious and more grace-filled: God's ways are not our ways. Sometimes the reason for suffering is clear—Paul's thorn kept him humble. But often, we simply don't know why. And that's okay. We walk by faith, not by sight, trusting that God is good even when we don't understand His timeline or His methods.

The Mending of the Soul

Perhaps the most intricate work God does is mending our souls—our minds, wills, and emotions. This is where we experience anxiety, depression, shame, bitterness, and countless other struggles. And remarkably, God often uses other people in this mending work.

There are five key ways we partner with God to mend and maintain healthy souls:

1. Engage with God directly. Prayer, Scripture, worship—these aren't religious obligations but lifelines to the One who heals. As Psalm 34 promises, "The Lord is near the brokenhearted. He delivers those who are discouraged." Philippians 4:6-7 reminds us that when we bring our anxieties to God through prayer, His peace guards our hearts and minds.

2. Be honest with God and others. Jesus said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." But there's an unspoken reality here: before freedom comes, truth often brings pain. Admitting the embarrassing sin, confessing the shameful secret, acknowledging where we're really struggling—this is terrifying. Yet honesty is the pathway to freedom.

3. Forgive and accept forgiveness. If there's a spiritual battleground in the human heart, it's here. Forgiveness isn't easy—it's supernatural. Many people carry wounds from childhood or young adulthood like boulders in their backpacks, unable to set them down. Others struggle to accept forgiveness, convinced they're unworthy. Both are forms of bondage. God calls us to forgive others as He has forgiven us, and to receive His forgiveness fully, letting Him take our shame along with our sin.

4. Seek fellowship. We're made for connection. Healthy relationships are the foundation of good mental health. Yet building and maintaining friendships is hard work. It requires vulnerability, consistency, and courage. We need people who will carry our burdens, and we need to know their burdens so we can carry theirs. The church should be a safe space where secrets are kept, prayers are offered, and coffee dates include real check-ins, not just small talk.

5. Know God and know yourself. Most emotional and mental struggles stem from one of two misunderstandings: misunderstanding who God is, or misunderstanding who we are in Christ. When we believe lies about God's character—that He's vengeful, distant, or unloving—we suffer. When we believe lies about our identity—that we're unworthy, unforgiven, or beyond redemption—we suffer. The truth sets us free, but we must know the truth. Read Scripture. Write God's promises on sticky notes and put them on your mirror. Speak truth out loud and ask yourself if you really believe it. Align your heart with your head.

When Sin Becomes a Cycle

What happens when we find ourselves sinning the same sin, repenting, then sinning it again? This cycle can continue for years, leaving us exhausted and discouraged. The answer is simple but not easy: get help.

There's no shame in admitting we can't break a pattern alone. God often mends us through the accountability, prayer, and encouragement of others who understand our struggles. Meeting regularly with trusted people who will ask hard questions and carry our burdens can break cycles that prayer alone hasn't broken.

The Source of Brokenness

Most of our brokenness is caused by sin—sometimes ours, sometimes others'. But not all brokenness comes from sin. This distinction is crucial. We must never become like Job's friends, assuming every struggle indicates hidden sin. Sometimes people suffer simply because we live in a fallen world. Our job isn't to judge but to listen, ask, help, and mend.

The Ultimate Mending

When Jesus went to the cross, His broken body and shed blood accomplished something cosmic. He didn't just pay for our sins—He took our shame. He didn't just offer forgiveness—He offered complete restoration. Body, soul, and spirit, He makes all things new.

The invitation stands: come with empty hands. Admit your poverty. Confess your brokenness. And watch as the God who mends the broken begins His supernatural work in you.

Because that's what He does. He mends. And sometimes, we get to help.