The beauty of broken.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided that I needed to unplug some, and just focus on falling deeper in love with Jesus.  I write that with zero desire for any praise or compliments whatsoever, because the reason was not at all a good one.  I realized I was doubting Him.  I realized that I was struggling to let Him be enough for me.  I knew He was asking for that, and I needed to be willing. 

So I took Facebook off my phone and put strict limits on how much social media I was allowed,  and entered into a 10-day period of trying to quiet all the distractions and just trying to feast on Him with every moment He allowed me.  I prayed that I would be overwhelmed by the love that He longs to lavish on me.  And I was.  But along with it, what I discovered wasn’t all that pretty.  Pride.  Fear.  Doubt.  The more time I spent with Him, the more undone I realized I was and the more I realized I needed Him.   And I realized He was asking me: “I know you believe that I can make beauty from ashes, but do you really truly believe I can do it in your life, your family and in your mess?  And do you understand that it may not happen the way you think it will or want it to, but in MY divine way?”

I’m only writing this down to remind myself of and to hopefully encourage others with, because in this journey, He led me to a book called The Beauty of Broken, by Elisa Morgan.   In this book, Elisa, the former CEO/President of MOPS International for many years, opens up with her very personal family story of pain and what most would call “messy.”  Yet she weaves God’s redemptive grace through all of it, like a red ribbon of hope because of the blood His Son shed on the cross to cover all of the sin and the mess.  

And that?  That transforms all of the ugly mess and makes it all beautiful. Only through Him. 

I absolutely love this part of the book, wrote it down, and was so encouraged by it that I knew others need to hear it too. 

God used…

Two broken stone tablets… to bring about the Israelites’ repentance.

Broken pitchers that covered torches… to make Gideon’s enemies fall back.

A broken heart… to return King David to His heart.

A broken roof… as an access for a cripple to receive Jesus’ healing.

Broken bread loaves… in Jesus’ feeding the more than 5,000.

Broken fishing nets… to challenge the disciples to fully depend on Him.

A broken flask of nard… to express love that flows out of a relationship.

A broken ship… to steer Paul to Malta to share the Gospel.

A broken body… to provide salvation for all mankind!

Wow.  He not only CAN use brokenness to bring beauty, but He seems to delight in it.

I just have to be willing to let Him.  

"...but You are the Savior, and You take brokenness aside and make it beautiful."