Run to the BrokennessSample

Day 5: Brokenness Is an Opportunity:

Your next big opportunity isn’t somewhere out there—it’s right in front of you.

It’s not a platform, a promotion, or a new program. It’s the brokenness you’ve been tempted to walk past. And if we’re honest, many of us have done just that. We see the unhoused person on the corner, the addicted teenager, the neglected school, or the rundown part of town, and we quietly think, Someone should do something. But in that quiet thought, the Holy Spirit often whispers, What if that someone is you?

Jesus never avoided the broken. He touched the untouchable. He embraced the rejected. He interrupted pain with healing and moved toward what others stepped around. In Matthew 8:1-3 (NIV), we see this in action:

“A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.”

That moment wasn’t just about healing—it was about proximity. Jesus didn’t just speak from a distance; He touched the very thing others avoided. That’s the posture He calls us to take in our cities.

We cannot lead well if we’re unwilling to walk where people are hurting. Our temptation as leaders is to pour all our energy into what’s predictable—sermons, schedules, staff meetings, Sunday flow. But God’s power is often waiting on the other side of the mess we’d rather avoid.

In John 9:6-7 (NIV), Jesus heals a man born blind by making mud, rubbing it on the man’s eyes, and telling him to wash in the Pool of Siloam. It’s a strange and messy miracle, but it reveals something vital: healing often begins with movement. Jesus could have healed him instantly—but instead, He invited the man to take a step. And in that step, the miracle happened.

It’s the same with us. When we move toward the broken—physically, emotionally, relationally—we position ourselves to see what only God can do.

The story in this chapter reminds us: avoiding brokenness feels safer, but running toward it is where transformation begins. A leader who once looked away from need helped catalyze the most innovative and highest-funded affordable housing initiative in his city. Not because he had the plan—but because he finally said yes to the nudge.

That’s what this is about. Not solving everything. Not launching something polished. But noticing what others miss, and responding with presence and compassion.

Running to brokenness might mean:

• Admitting your own wounds and letting others see them.
• Speaking publicly about issues your community is afraid to name.
• Taking a risk that breaks the mold of church as usual.

But if Jesus moved toward pain, not away from it, why would we lead any differently?

This kind of leadership isn’t glamorous. But it is faithful. And that faithfulness creates space for miracles. Just like the man who washed his eyes in the pool. Just like the leper who reached for healing. Just like the pastor who stopped and said, “What if I am the someone?”

You don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to start walking toward the pain.

That’s where Jesus is.

And that’s where revival begins.