We are all broken people.
It’s just how life is here. Life is hard. It can be ugly.
Each of us lives a story much different from the rest, yet the same.
painful.
There are good times, filled with joy and laughter, and then there are the hardest times, the times that leave us broken and in pieces never to be fully put back together again. Yet we go on. We laugh more and we break more in the endless circle of our life.
Sometimes it feels as if the broken pieces of ourselves are the worst parts. We feel they should be hidden, masked, left untold and glued back together to create a fragile shell of what once seemed whole and perfect.
I love these stories.
Your story is meant to be heard. Every part of it is meant to be heard, even the broken and ugliest parts. It’s those parts that make us real. They make us a part of this great thing called life that is a story meant to be lived and fought for. Though the ugliest parts aren’t the easiest, I think they can be part of the best…
Think of a stained glass window, glorious with it’s many pieces and the sun streaming through. The colors come to life in a beautiful way. Yet these windows are made of thousands of broken pieces. Some are smashed until they are unrecognizable, and others are chipped and scratched. Regardless, the damage hurts and each piece is merely a fragment of the perfection it once was. It can never be completely reversed.
Yet, each piece, no matter how shattered or damaged, has a perfect place in the glorious picture within the stained glass. It is needed. The most broken pieces make the most beautiful masterpieces. It is not in the perfection, but the imperfection that the pieces can be used. Together, with the other broken pieces, they can be seen in a new and perfect beauty.
Every story is needed. The more broken story, the more beautiful is the redemption within the bigger picture. Pain is real and life is hard, but it is also good and every part of it matters and deserves to be told. Share your story, even the ugliest and most broken pieces. God is using every part of you to create His glorious masterpiece.
You are made imperfectly perfect. You are loved.
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UPDATE:
We made it through our first month of ministry in China. God did incredible things, and we’ve made so many friends and been able to share the gospel with lots of people here. Though we’re sad to leave, we know that we are simply working for God’s glory around the world, and each place we leave God can use to bring someone else into the work of building His kingdom.
As we finish our time in China, our squad leaders and mentors have come to join us during “debrief”- a time of reflection and processing on the race. We’ve had some squad bonding, spiritual time and encouragement, as well as time to get to know each other- the real stories. As I hear the stories of people on my squad, I get a better glimpse into their heart and how imperfectly perfect each of us was created. We’re all broken, and many of my squadmates have gone through incredibly tough things- yet we’re all here because of how The Lord has taken our broken pieces and created them into something magnificent. That’s what inspired this post.
There’s a lot of healing to be done in many of us, and a lot more vulnerability and willingness to share our whole stories. Be praying for our squad as we dive into the hard parts of life. And as we leave behind a piece of our hearts in China and head to Thailand, where lots of spiritual warfare will greet us in the Red Light District. God is moving, and His war is already won, but pray that we’re ready for the battles ahead.
If you want names of some Chinese friends to pray for, here’s a list!
Chris & Lucy- owners of Milk and Honey Land Cafe (awesome Christians!)
Rebecca, Lolli & Harrison- members of a local home church in Harbin who reach out to college students at HIT
Candy, Crystal, Sue, Luke, Eric, Jim, Sundae, Vivian, Mary, Wei Long, Calvin- these and many others who we befriended who want to know more about God and Jesus and how someone could love them even when they’re not perfect.
Thank you for the prayers! And please keep them coming as we gear up for month two. Your prayers are the umbrella of protection we walk under in these places- we can feel it. Literally, it changes things and we’ve seen it. Thanks!
Much love to you all! Photos and videos to come soon!
