Plumb's eighth release Beautifully Broken follows the success of her previous albums Need You Now and Exhale. Throughout her career, she has continued to entertain and challenge listeners in that way, looking to point us to the One who can fill that "God-shaped hole in all of us." Plumb's previous albums featured the hit songs "Need You Now," "Don't Deserve You," "Lord I'm Ready Now" and "Exhale." 

God wants us to know that He's faithful to complete what's He's started in all of us who have put our hope and trust in Jesus. The songs on Beautifully Broken continue with similar high caliber declarations of dependence on God. I had the chance to speak with Plumb's Tiffany Lee about "Beautifully Broken," our 10th behind the song devotional discussion.

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

There is a film called "Beautifully Broken" that is coming out this summer and they reached out to me about writing a song for it. I was honored. It was an interesting situation where the title was already decided on for the film, and so the song had been conceptually created. When I heard the title of the movie I connected it directly to the broken girl, and there is a broken girl in the film, and so I wrote from that perspective. I am honored to be a part.

When I hear beautifully broken, I think of myself and how God has used my brokenness for beautiful things. I wrote this song from that perspective. The song isn't just for the broken girl but about brokenness. I had in my mind the image of a teacup. It's beautiful, valuable and also very fragile. When you put that back together it has a story of how it got broken in the first place. That story has now made it even more valuable and more beautiful. I feel that we are the teacups. Our owner and our Creator, who we belong to, is Jesus. Just by being His makes us valuable. Because of how He has created us, and loves us and sees us, we are so worthy. Sometimes we don't believe the truth of that. Those are feelings, not facts. You are His. That's what matters most.

The songwriting process on this record was a bit different because I wrote it all while touring and in years past I've taken time off the road to write and record but a tremendous amount of these songs were written while touring. As I wrote song after song, I started to notice a theme and it was brokenness.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Romans 8:28 (VOICE): "We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan."

Isaiah 61:10 (VOICE): "I am filled with joy and my soul vibrates with exuberant hope, because of the Eternal my God; For He has dressed me with the garment of salvation, wrapped me with the robe of righteousness. It's as though I'm dressed for my wedding day, in the very best: a bridegroom's garland and a bride's jewels."

Psalm 30:11-12 (VOICE): "You did it: You turned my deepest pains into joyful dancing; You stripped off my dark clothing and covered me with joyful light. You have restored my honor. My heart is ready to explode, erupt in new songs! It's impossible to keep quiet! Eternal One, my God, my Life-Giver, I will thank You forever."

1 John 3:1 (NLT): "See how very much our Father loves us, for He calls us His children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don't recognize that we are God's children because they don't know Him."

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV): "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

Song of Songs 4:7 (NIV): "You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you."

What is the takeaway message?

Brokenness is a theme for humanity. I've experienced a lot of it in my own life. We get so scarred up, and all we see is our brokenness: our pride, insecurities, and struggles. It's important to accept that yes, we are broken and flawed, but at the end of the day our identity is not found in our mistakes, those aren't who we are. Who we are is God's children; that alone makes us beautiful. We need to hear human stories and songs about people going through these battles with brokenness so we can say "I've been through the same," and feel the hope of not being alone. Although we are all human and fallen, we are afraid to acknowledge that we are broken because somehow we think that's where our identity will be found.

Over the last couple of years, I've been faced with my own brokenness more than ever and have only been met with His grace, understanding, love, and forgiveness. God has used so many different ways to remind me that no matter what I feel, think, do, or experience. He can take it all and make something absolutely beautiful out of it. The beauty in our brokenness is that it doesn't have to be the end. God can put our pieces back together and use us for His Kingdom.

The song is about accepting that we are and we will be broken and in that brokenness, we are going to give it over to God. Enemy, watch out because I'm going to turn over my brokenness to God, "it doesn't change whose you are, you're worthy." Hand it back to Him and let it go. You are His and that is beautiful. Embrace and celebrated your brokenness and trust God with that. Say it out loud so your heart believes it.

Lyrics:
Every tear, every doubt
Every time you've fallen down
When you're hurting, feeling shame
When you're numbing all your pain
When you've lost your way
And feel so far away
You're not

You're beautifully broken
And You can be whole again
Even a million scars
Doesn't change whose you are
You're worthy
Beautifullybroken

Every fear of being loved
For who you are no matter what
When you're stumbling, with each step
And you're haunted by regret
And the darkness closes in
Just listen

You're beautifully broken
And You can be whole again
Even a million scars
Doesn't change whose you are
You're worthy
Beautifullybroken
You're beautifully broken (beautifully broken)
You're beautifully broken

Oh, the God who made the stars
Is the God that made your heart
And He's holding you right now
He can heal the broken parts
And make beauty from the scars, the scars
Beautiful scars!

You're beautifully broken
And You can be whole again
Even a million scars
Doesn't change whose you are
You're worthy
You're beautifully broken
And You can be whole again
Even a million scars
Doesn't change whose you are
You're worthy
You're beautifully broken (You're beautifully broken)
Beautifully broken (You're beautifully broken)
You're beautifully broken 

Final Thoughts

Ann Voskamp shared, "This is the thing. When I see my brokenness, it whispers that I don't belong. And then scarred, rejected God says, 'Come with Me, My beloved.'" God's hope will turn whatever you are going through into something different for His glory. The picture of God's unconditional love for us after all that we've done wrong is profoundly captured in this song. God wants us to know that He's faithful to complete what's He's started in all of us who have put our hope and trust in Jesus. This song is a beautiful way to express our devotion and gives me hope and inspiration as one of God's children. 

For me, songs like "Beautifully Broken" provide opportunities for God to whisper to me my true identity--not found in what I do or don't do, but in who I am--more importantly, to whom I belong. I have three young daughters and I can't help but get emotional when I listen to this song. I know it speaks to girls and women of all ages, but this song has many layers, and I relate to the message that God created us to have value. I look at my daughters and I hope I am communicating with each of my girls that she is beautiful, that she is valuable, and that she is a blessing to me.

I'm extremely moved by the passion behind the lyrics speaking of how we think we are never good enough, yet Jesus saw something beautiful in us worth dying for. This song and the biblical truth behind the song is such an encouraging reminder of God's sovereignty and that He has been, is, and always will be with us. If God is with us, we can endure anything. This song is also about submitting all of your worries, anxieties, and stress to God and letting Him be your guide. God wants to walk beside you, and He wants us to be bold and unafraid by acknowledging that, "You're beautifully broken, and you can be whole again. Even a million scars don't change whose you are, you're worthy, beautifully broken." Amen to that!