The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit
One of my memories of being a child was accidentally dropping a dozen plates and watching them shatter on the floor. I was emptying out the dishwasher and decided I could save time by lifting the entire stack of plates to the shelf above until that is when the plates slid out of my hands.. Shards of pottery pieces were scattered all over the floor as horror swept through my mind. My parents had just purchased these dishes when our family traveled to the Red Wing Pottery factory. I found a box and swept all of the broken shards of pottery and carried them downstairs where I proceeded to glue the plates together. I could tell that the glued together efforts were a poor replica of the plates my parents purchased .When they returned home I decided to confess to the crime. They were disappointed that their new dishes were gone, but they forgave me before running down and buying a new set of dishes.
So where am i going with this story? It seems when something outlives it's usefulness we throw it away or donate it to the Salvation Army, or as in the case of the broken plates thrown out. The item never remains in the home. Think of how many millions of the old style tube televisions were recycle when the new high definition sets gave a hundred times better signal? Land fills are full of stuff that no one uses anymore
The world has cast a cruel net over those who have not performed up to human standards. Employees are dismissed every day for not being able to perform up to those standards. When that happens they are caught up in a whirlwind of emotions with messages that seem to rewind over and over again reminding them that they are unworthy and not valued because they had been thrown into the land fill of used up people.
Unlike the shards of pottery that I simply swept up and tossed away God does his most redemptive work on brokenness. He is a master at taking all of the brokenness of our life and creating a master piece worthy of being exhibited in the most famous gallery, No matter what you have been through or how much you had been trod upon, spat at, or told that you are not important by those who make the rules God provided the means for Him to come into your life and make all things new again. He takes the pain you have experienced by speaking His word into you through wise men and woman of God. He provides people who have the ability to listen to you as you process all of the anger of your brokenness.
Not even your worst pain of brokenness is unworthy of God's redemptive power. God continues to restore lives on a daily basis through programs like Minnesota Teen Challenge, Chuck Colson's Prison Ministries, Joni and Friends and the list goes on. People are drawn to a new life in Christ because of someone they knew who had an amazing change in their life because of God's redemptive power.
Not even the loss of my daughter on June 10th, 2007 could cause me to deny God. I was broken. I was crushed and at times I just wanted to give up, but God took the broken pieces of my life and gave me a new purpose. He took the broken pieces of my son and made him into a man of God set to tackle a new collegiate experience at a great Christian college right here in Roseville, Minnesota. He took the brokenness of my bride of what will be our 25th wedding anniversary and gave her a new ministry.
Right now you may be looking at the shards of pottery splattered all around you and are wondering if it is ever possible for God to heal you of your brokenness? You may never be the same person you were before your brokenness began, but I assure you just as the testimonies I have heard and the changed lives I have seen that God will heal your brokenness and when he does your life will be a beautiful portrait of God's amazing grace,
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