If You’ve Ever Felt Broken, Read This

I stood at the counter a little bit confident and a lot concerned.

For the first time in my life I attempted a Pinterest project. Yikes! (I still don’t know what I was thinking.)

After more than a decade of being a mom I decided it was high time I make a craft for the preschool Valentine’s Day party. So I scoured the endless options from super-crafty creators then picked the one that appeared most doable. With no back-up plan this had to work.

I grabbed my ingredients … crayons and a heart-shaped muffin tin … simple enough.

Step 1: Peel and break the crayons.

Sounds easy, but you’d be surprised how much your fingers hurt after picking away at the tightly wrapped crayon paper. And depending on the crayon and it’s size, some of them required a butter knife to break down small enough for this project.

Step 2: Arrange the broken pieces into the hearts.

At first I threw them in the tray just happy they were broken down enough to fit. But as I watched my creation take shape I started moving the pieces around, imagining what might happen if I combine this color with that one …

Step 3: Add a little heat.

And that’s when my Pinterest project turned into a love story.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)

I think sometimes Valentine’s Day highlights our broken places. We look at love happening all around us and remember the times we felt unloved. We recall the moments that left us alone. Instead of spilling over we run dry. Instead of celebrating we mourn.

Maybe you feel that way today. But I want to invite you to a party. One thrown in celebration of all those broken places. Because it’s from those broken places we find the life God meant for us all along.

 

He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” Ephesians 4:16 (NLT)

In my little craft creation, it was the brokenness of the pieces that allowed them to be melted. And once melted, they could be molded into something new. Something beautiful. Something special.

When we choose to follow Jesus, turning from our sin and placing our lives in His hands, we immediately become a part of His family. His body of believers. He takes our brokenness and molds it together with the brokenness of every other believer (and trust me, we all have broken pieces) and He makes something we never thought possible.

Together our broken places play a song of deliverance. Together our broken places build each other up. Together our broken places grow love where loneliness once dwelled.

This Valentine’s weekend I want to thank you for being a part of my “together,”and I pray you experience the lavish love of Jesus not just this weekend but every day!