Broken and Beautiful

Guiding Prayer For Our Season of Fasting: 

Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom,the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Myself in Truth

Holy God, may life's tumbles lead to something beautiful.

Nurtured and Nurturing

Father and Creator, you make all things new. Renew the love and respect within our families and when we gather may you always be our welcomed guest.

The Gathered

Gathering God, we are your children, rough and worn, broken and beautiful.  Use us to bring about your kingdom here on earth. Amen.

2 Corinthians 5:17 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Broken and Beautiful

The smoother the shell, the rougher and longer the tumble.  I am a sucker for a broken shell.  I love those pieces of shells on the beach that most people would pass by but, if you take the time to turn them over, there are beautiful purples and pinks underneath. On one side is what looks like a broken piece of nothing and on the other are the colors of a beautiful sunset. Had the shell never been broken or abandoned by the animal that it once housed, the beautiful colors could never have been seen. 

Or what about those rocks  and shell pieces that are covered with holes. At first glance they are distorted and unattractive, but at closer look, they are a intricate web of tunnels and holes. There is a beautiful fragility about them.  I have a collection of them in a bag and one day I'll have a creative epiphany about how to display them.

The holes tell a story. The more holes, the longer it has been tossed, tumbled and even burrowed through by tiny organisms.  Their beauty is a result of their journey. Rough and tumbled leads to broken and beautiful. 

Isn't it interesting how the same is true for us.  The longer we are on life's journey, the greater the chance of hurt, betrayal, gossip and malice affecting our very being.  Our tumbles will be many. We have a choice to make as we travel, we can either become bitter and broken, or broken, transformed and beautiful.  Harboring anger and resentment will make our lives painful and unattractive to others, but when we seek God's refuge during trials, when we allow our savior to use our hurts and let downs as opportunities for growth and forgiveness, we are transformed bit by bit into a beautiful testimony of God's grace.

Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
Points to the refuge, the mighty cross.

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin. - Julia Johnston, 1911