Have you ever felt shattered? Like something shattered (a relationship, an expectation, part of yourself, something you were trying to do, or something you had)?
I have.
It’s awful.
It’s painful.
It’s amazing!
…. Amazing? ….
Picture with me…. A beautiful vase of some sort. Really visualize (what color is it? What shape? What is it used for? Where is it? What is it for?)
You love this piece. You value it. You even think you need it.
Now a strong wind comes, and knocks it from its place. Your heart stops as you see it falling…. In slow motion, your eyes watch it barrel toward the floor. Then you hear it *crash*, and see it (shards of glass flung into the air in all directions). You walk over and look at the mess. Pieces everywhere.
Before you go to get the dustpan and broom and count it as lost…. Let’s invite the Lord to have a look.
In the silence that happens as the vase hangs in the air, falling gently, the Lord hears chains rattling. He knows they are about to break loose. Then, instead of a crash, he hears silence. Finally, the chains have been loosed. In these broken pieces, FINALLY, there is something He can work with. Instead of a dust pan and broom, He calls for the fire.
From the shattered pieces, the Lord comes in and forges something new… something more beautiful … from the brokenness. Something we never could have seen in its original form.
Here, he will melt and mold, shape and press, stretch and pull. With intimate care, He will bring each piece into alignment of the new vessel.
It may look nothing like you ever expected. It will be better! It may not be what you thought you needed, but you really will need it. At least for now. He may have other plans later. But for now, this new piece is perfect.
What is our response? What is the state of our heart in the ‘falling’ times? How about the ‘crash’? And how about the ‘scattered mess’? How still… about the ‘fire’?
Mabe, you dive to catch the vase, or sit crying on the floor clutching the broken pieces. Maybe you spit on the pile and walk away. Maybe you have done all this and more! I have. We fight so hard against the process of being broken, and harder still against the re-molding.
Lord, help us trust you! Help us feel your peace and your presence at each stage of the process of brokenness. Help us to say ‘Yes’ to you when you ask to pick up the pieces. Let our hearts stay in the fire with you as you shape us into something new.
I had my expectations shattered again. But I saw what He made out of the last mess, so I trust Him with this one :0)
