I have been a pastor going on 37 years, and I have to admit that it is much easier work to minister to those who seem to have it together in the spiritual realm — meaning those who are committed to following Jesus Christ and having their lives transformed, with the Christian disciplines a regular part of their lives.

Not to say that they are perfect, but they have already worked through dealing with a lot of the baggage from their past. And some, through the grace of God and a godly upbringing, were able to avoid a lot of such baggage. A group of people like this becomes one big, happy family.

The truth of the matter is that we are all born broken. We are all born sinners and in need of a Savior. Also, the purpose of the church is not to be full of well people. Our purpose is to find people who are broken and administer healing through the power of God. Jesus said he came to seek and save that which is lost and was sent to heal the broken-hearted.

He also said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” We must follow Jesus’ example and purposefully reach out to people in need.

Many times, those whose lives are broken feel like no one cares, that there is no hope. And it is easy for us, as Christians, to develop a wrong, unhealthy attitude toward them. We might think they deserve the messes they have gotten themselves into, making statements like, “They made their bed, so now let them sleep in it.”

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day felt this way and neglected anyone who needed special attention, such as the sick, diseased, the poor, demon-possessed and those whom they considered having committed hideous sins.

We must not neglect those who need us most, those who feel like their lives don’t matter. We must understand that if it wasn’t for the grace of God, who knows where we would be.

If you are feeling hopeless, being where you thought you would never be, then understand that Jesus does love you and there are those who love you, too, and can direct you to the one who can bring healing to your brokenness.