Broken Glass

“Many adversities come to the one who is righteous,
but the Lord delivers him from them all.”

Psalm 34:19

“God is our refuge and strength,
a helper who is always found
in times of trouble.”

Psalm 46:1

Recently, I broke a glass bowl while emptying the dishwasher. Shattered fragments flew everywhere…This reminded me of a time when my son was two years old. We had just been in the kitchen. I had given him a bowl of dry cereal. Next, I quickly ran a basket of clean laundry up the stairs.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash! Then, silence. I froze and called down to my son. When he responded to me, I could breathe again.

Speeding down the steps, I saw that the light fixture above our kitchen island had fallen and shattered into a million little pieces, all over the floor and counter. We had been standing there only a moment before!

I walked over to my son, who was completely oblivious, munching on his cereal while standing in front of the TV. I am so thankful that he was spared from injury.

At times, our lives may shatter like glass. Like broken pieces, these moments didn’t turn out the way we wanted or believed they would. But maybe those things had to go for us to have enough space to grow and work toward a better life.

We see examples of beauty from brokenness…
Sea glass has its rough edges polished smooth as it’s tossed in the sea.
Beautiful pottery pieces make wonderful mosaics.
God can restore a shattered life and take us in a new direction.

When difficult times come, we have to work through them. Some we get over and may even forget. Others change our lives forever. With the help of the Lord and others, we will get through. There will be lessons from each experience that we can take with us. Some will leave us with scars on our bodies and hearts. As we keep moving through our days, let’s learn from those broken pieces not to hold onto things too tightly, but to cherish the people and experiences more.

PRAYER:
Dear Lord,
Thank You for being our refuge and strength in times of trouble. Help us to learn and grow even in the broken times in our lives. Show us ways to use this knowledge for positive change and encouragement for ourselves and others.
In Christ’s name, Amen.

Journal: What are some of the shattered moments in your life? What lessons have you learned? How have your rough edges been polished or a new mosaic been made from the pieces?