Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in You my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until the disaster has passed. ~ Psalm 57:1
Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with Me.’ If You are pleased with me, teach me Your ways so I may know You and continue to find favor with You. Remember that this nation is Your people.”
The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Then Moses said to him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that You are pleased with me and with Your people unless You go with us? What else will distinguish me and Your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
Then Moses said, “Now show me Your glory.” ~ Exodus 33:12-18
Are we, like Moses, so eager to know God and desirous to find favor with Him, that we are confident enough to say the same to Him? Notice, Moses didn't shyly ask God: "Do You think You might be able to show me Your glory?"
No, it came as no question. It was a request. You might even say a demand. 'Now, show me Your glory."
Today, are you willing to present yourself to God and request the same from Him? And -- are you prepared to be transformed by Him?
like a fine piece of crystal shattered in the kitchen sink --the shards twinkle enticingly among the soapy water, like beautiful diamonds....but be careful! They'll cut you to the quick.
Deadly....
Broken....
like a porcelain mug crashing onto the floor, into pieces much too small to attempt to glue back together. All that's really left is the handle....but what good is it?
Useless....
Broken....
like an antique pocket watch finally wound way too tight -- its face smashed, with springs bouncing and dangling every which way....a treasured family heirloom once but now?
Worthless...
Broken....
like a child's doll, shiny and new, loved and cared for once upon a time --but now, hairless, with arms and legs missing; naked, sentenced to the bottom of the toy chest.
Forgotten....
Broken....
like an old car, junked and left to rust and rot in someone's back yard, with weeds growing all around and through it -- in such desperate need of restoration, but no one has time, and the cost and effort are too great.
Unfixable....
Broken.... like I am now
Broken.... like I don't want to be
Broken.... like God needs me to be, so that He can gently, lovingly transform me, restore me, make me like new!!
Broken....
All of us, through various seasons of our lives, have experienced brokenness in one way or another.
And different people react and respond in different ways to life in their broken state.
Some of us may become angry and refuse to allow our brokenness to humble us, so we react by striking out in hurtful, harmful, even deadly ways to others -- and to ourselves.
Some of us may feel like a complete mess, believing the lie that we have no purpose in life any longer and that we are useless.
Still others may feel worthless, discarded, unloved, unloveable and forgotten in our brokenness.
And finally, some may feel unfixable and really when you come down to it -- we're just NOT worth someone else's time, effort and energy. We're stuck being who and what we are. We'll never change.
Over the years, I have felt and wrestled with all of these things. And all of these feelings, reactions and beliefs are so dead wrong. Because our loving, gracious, patient and compassionate Abba Father is more than able to help us.
He invites us to come to Him, our Creator God, in our messy state, like children with tear-stained faces, to bring Him all the broken pieces of our lives. He is indeed the Potter and we are the clay. And He alone.... IF we remain still upon the Potter's wheel, not trying to jump off part way through the process....can piece us carefully and lovingly back together.
God alone can:
Remold us...
Refresh us...
Renew us...
Restore us...
....transforming us into something even better than we were before. Something...and someone....beautiful.
For we are God's workmanship -- His poetic masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10)
Did you hear what I said?
Did you read the words I wrote down in red?
I was broken once for you
And no one loves you like I do
And that's the beauty of this grace
It can put the pieces back in place
And shine reflections of forgiveness
In a million different ways
So lift them up to Me
All the broken pieces
All the broken pieces of your life
To Me
All the broken pieces
All the broken pieces of your life ~ All The Broken Pieces, by Matthew West
(Below is a YouTube video for Matthew West's song, 'All The Broken Pieces.' Kudos to the person/people who put this video together...it's beautiful)
I had a rough night last night. First, I couldn’t get to sleep. Then, after several hours of tossing and turning, I finally fell asleep, only to wake up around 2:00 a.m., sick to my stomach and in pain. I wandered downstairs and into my kitchen, in search of some Pepto-Bismal, and found that someone (or perhaps multiple someones) had left behind a sink full of dirty dishes. Neither food nor liquids had been kindly or thoughtfully rinsed off the variety of bowls, dishes, silverware and cups. I became immediately aggravated which only intensified my stomach pains and my headache.
As the mother of teens, I am weary of having to remind them daily to be responsible and to do their part regarding household chores. Everybody wants to reap the benefits of being older and more mature, but having to handle the responsibilities that go along with that don’t seem to get much attention and often get lost in the shuffle. Of course, there IS another adult in this household that could help and be supportive, but that’s a minefield I choose not to walk across today.
Anyway, over the years, I’ve come to realize and have had to admit to myself (and now, to others) that I am a full blown, anal-retentive control freak. As I stated in earlier posts, the act of letting go of people, things and situations into God’s hands and then leaving them there has been and is a constant struggle for me. Try as I might (and believe me, I have tried and tried and tried), I cannot change anyone, which frustrates me to no end. There are times when I feel like such a failure because my words, actions, examples and prayers have done nothing to change the hearts, minds and attitudes of the people in my life, especially those who are closest to me. I’m well aware that only God is able to truly change the hardest and most stubborn of hearts, minds and souls of people, yet when no change seems to come, even after years and years, I tell myself that in order for God to be able to transform someone, they themselves have to sincerely WANT to change (sidebar of irony here: as I‘m writing this, my dog just let me know the mail had arrived and waiting for me was a solitary envelope with the words “I REALLY WANT TO CHANGE…SO, HELP ME, GOD” emblazoned across the front of it). But, as I sat at my kitchen table in the wee hours this morning, clutching my trusty pink bottle of Pepto and glaring at the sink, the story of Saul on the road to Damascus popped into my head.
Saul was certainly not looking to be changed the day the Lord stopped him dead in his tracks with a blinding light and a message that he was to go from being Saul, persecutor extraordinaire of those who were followers of The Way, to Paul, man on fire for Christ and deliverer of the Good News for the Gentiles. In fact, Saul was actually on his way to Damascus to wreak more havoc: ‘Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” He replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. ‘ (Acts 9:1-9) No, change was not on Saul’s agenda that day, but in the blink of an eye (no pun intended), he was instantly and completely transformed from the inside out by the Lord. A man who believed he had his life and the lives of many others completely under his command and control and felt no need or desire for change within himself, now found himself out of control: not only totally blind and dependent upon his fellow traveling buddies to lead him the rest of the way to Damascus, but totally under the Lord’s command and control now.
The point here is something that I keep forgetting -- ALL things are possible with God (Mark 10:27). NOTHING is too hard for Him (Jeremiah 32:17). Yes, not being in control and unable to change certain people in my life sure is frustrating for me. Yet I wonder how much more frustrating it is for God, watching me struggle all these years to learn to let go of each and every person, thing and situation into His more than capable hands and to leave them there, trusting Him to bring about the necessary change, perhaps with other Damascus moments. If I'm blind to His will for me,
Then I'll wait to be shown;
And like Paul, I'll have an answer too,
At the end of Damascus Road.
I've been walking down Damascus Road,
And I've carried many cares;
To the place where I am waiting now,
Till the Master tells me where to go from here.
I'm learning grace I thought I'd never have,
And how to wait upon the Lord;
The answer's sweet, I think it's just in sight,
At the end of Damascus Road. ~ Damascus Road, by The Perrys
