A favorite nursery rhyme that children have enjoyed for generations is the familiar tale of an egg that takes an unfortunate tumble: Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again.
According to experts in this area, this piece of wisdom is thousands of years old and versions have appeared in eight European languages. In its primitive stages, however, Humpty Dumpty was not a rhyme, but actually a riddle. It asked the question of what, when broken, can never be repaired, not even by strong or wise individuals. The obvious answer is an egg. Regardless of how hard one tries, a broken egg can never be put back together again as it once was. You simply have to live with the mess.
The same is true in life. The Bible records that in the beginning Adam and Eve were in perfect relationship with God. They possessed an elevated position above all other creatures. But instead of honoring that position, they believed the lie from Satan that they could possess the necessary wisdom to be like God. Choosing to take and eat the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they found themselves no longer on a lofty plane. Instead, they had taken a great fall. Regardless of how hard they tried, their lives were broken and couldn’t be put back together as they once were.
In many respects, broken eggs are an appropriate symbol for our lives today. Wherever we step we can hear the crunch of fragile shells beneath our feet reminding us of the nature of sin. No matter how hard we try or how many people or self-help books we turn to, they can’t put our lives back together as God intended it to be. The apostle Paul made that very clear in his letter to the Romans: There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. There is no one who does good, not even one. He goes on to declare about himself, “What a retched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
Unlike Humpty Dumpty, we have someone who can put us back together again. Continuing his thanks to God for the work of Jesus Christ in his life, he continues in Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Even better, God has the ability to make us into a brand-new creation. The apostle John declared, “To all who receive him, to those who believe in his name, he gives the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1: 12).
No one has to live a broken life. Let Jesus do a brand-new work in yours!
To His Glory,
Pastor Bill