Beautifully Broken

^{“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.”}

^{Psalms 147:3}

I have heard this phrase before and have pondered its meaning on several occasions. An interesting thought. Almost an oxymoron. How can something broken be beautiful?

I’m sure at some point in your life, you have had a possession that was special to you and beautiful, at least in your sight. Then one day either kids were playing around it or even your slip of the hand dropped it or knocked it over and you watched in dismay as it broke into a million pieces right before your eyes. I know this has happened to me. It actually happened this past fall as we were getting out our fall decorations. Someone (there are only 2 people that live here and it wasn’t me😉) was putting a large ceramic scarecrow gourd holding a small chalk board on the counter and then this person (who will remain nameless) turned and knocked it on the floor, and it scattered in a million pieces across the floor. We had had this for many years and so it had a lot of memories tied to it. I remember being so sad that something so special was now in a heap in pieces. This nameless person was so upset that they had broken it. My first response was to try to quickly get all the pieces and try to put them back together again.

^{“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."}

^{Psalms 34:18}

Thankfully after many hours of tediously gluing pieces together it kind of looked like it had. Never mind that most of the back of the head was missing. But if you looked at it just right and squinted just a tad, you could hardly see all the cracks and missing bits. Other times I have tried to put something back together but eventually no matter how hard I tried, it was plain to see that all my best efforts failed, and my beautiful object was now nothing more than a useless pile of pieces. Broken. Destroyed. Damaged. Trust me, my family will tell you that sometimes I didn’t have the heart to even throw the pieces away and so I put them in a bag or container hoping that someday I may be able to miraculously put it back together again just like new. That never happens. True, I have meticulously and patiently put some back together again and sometimes from first glance you can’t tell that it was once in pieces and broken. But if you looked close enough you could see the cracks and broken places.

^{“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”}

^{Romans 8:28}

There are so many people walking around in this world who are broken. Many people in our churches and families. Something has happened in their lives that broke them in pieces. They no longer feel whole. There are missing pieces. There are cracks. They feel that they will never feel whole again. Then again, there are some things in our lives that need to be broken. Pride, self-centeredness, stubbornness, and other sins in our lives. But painful all the same.

“ But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.”

Isaiah 64:8

Well, I have great news! No matter if your brokenness is a result of pain inflicted on you by someone else or self-inflicted by sin, God is waiting to pick up all those pieces and put them back together again and make “something beautiful of your life.” He has promised in Hebrews 13:5 “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” And even though it may not seem so at times, You Are Never Alone! God is waiting patiently for you to come to Him and ask for His help, His comfort, and His plan for your life.

“I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.

“I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.”

Psalms 116:1-2

Call on God today! He is never too busy to listen to you and your hurts and concerns. Like the childhood song says, “we are weak, but He is strong.” Nothing is too hard for God to handle. Nothing takes Him by surprise. He knows our needs before we even ask. Sometimes God allows pain and suffering in our lives to make us stronger. To give Him the glory! He can take all of those broken pieces and put them back together again, stronger than ever. Yes, you may still see a few places where it has been broken but that’s what makes His masterpiece even more useable and beautiful. God can make all things new. He can bring beauty out of the ashes and broken pieces!

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30