A friend of mine broke her wrist after falling in a parking lot after church. I immediately flashed back to times when I broke a bone and I truly commiserated with her. The process of healing is long and complicated. In my case, learning to walk with a boot and crutches was tricky and exhausting. Many people assured me, though, that a broken bone heals stronger. Have you ever heard that? Apparently it is true, but only applies to the time in the healing process when your body forms a callus around the break, indeed making it stronger for a time.

This made me think about things that actually do get stronger after they break.

I believe that people can get stronger after they suffer a break of sorts. Case in point is a dear friend who came out of a prolonged and contentions divorce much, much stronger due to the break in her marriage. She found her voice in the process, is able to stand up for herself in ways she never could before, found the courage to leave her abusive husband, and discovered God’s redemptive and saving power in ways she would never have experienced had she not been broken so badly. So, there is that. Have you ever been broken and then healed stronger?

In our lectionary passage today, Peter addressed the crowd after healing a lame man. Watch what happened and how the crowd reacts:

Acts 3: 7-10 Common English Bible

⁷ Then he grasped the man’s right hand and raised him up. At once his feet and ankles became strong. ⁸ Jumping up, he began to walk around. He entered the temple with them, walking, leaping, and praising God. ⁹ All the people saw him walking and praising God. ¹⁰ They recognized him as the same one who used to sit at the temple’s Beautiful Gate asking for money. They were filled with amazement and surprise at what had happened to him.

The once broken and damaged feet and ankles became strong, and the man began his witness walk. He was a living, breathing example of the power of God to change and make new. Are you that person? Has God taken your brokenness and made you new? How are you proclaiming his power with your own witness walk?

¹² Seeing this, Peter addressed the people: “You Israelites, why are you amazed at this? Why are you staring at us as if we made him walk by our own power or piety? ¹³ The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of our ancestors—has glorified his servant Jesus. This is the one you handed over and denied in Pilate’s presence, even though he had already decided to release him. ¹⁴ You rejected the holy and righteous one, and asked that a murderer be released to you instead. ¹⁵ You killed the author of life, the very one whom God raised from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 

Peter takes this opportunity to preach about Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. It is important to note that he did not allow any of the attention to remain on himself, but immediately deflected their wonder to the power of Christ.

¹⁶ His name itself has made this man strong. That is, because of faith in Jesus’ name, God has strengthened this man whom you see and know. The faith that comes through Jesus gave him complete health right before your eyes.

We know that we are healed in the strong and powerful name of Jesus. We know that when we have faith in Jesus’ name, strength comes to us by his grace.

¹⁷ “Brothers and sisters, I know you acted in ignorance. So did your rulers.¹⁸ But this is how God fulfilled what he foretold through all the prophets: that his Christ would suffer. ¹⁹ Change your hearts and lives! Turn back to God so that your sins may be wiped away.

Peter’s final words are good for us today. How do you respond to Easter? How do you understand healing? How do you account for the strength that you have obtained from God? Changing our hearts is the only way to respond. May our minds be set on turning back to God today as we continue our witness walk in everything we say and do.

Can I Get a Witness by Michelle Robertson