Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ’s sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It’s because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God. 1 Peter 1:18-21 (The Message)
A friend invited me to lunch this week to celebrate my birthday. We tried a great new restaurant situated in a lovely outdoor shopping mall. After lunch, we wandered through the shops looking at clothes, shoes, and stuff for the grandkids. As we approached one particular gift store, I raved to her about all the pretty things in it. She was unfamiliar with it so we spent several minutes oohing and ahhing over the various styles and designs of the different collections in the store. As I reached to the back to pick up some decorative napkins, I accidentally knocked a small ceramic cactus off the shelf. Of course, it broke…not into smithereens but shards of the pottery from the top of the cactus crumbled in a pile on the floor. I immediately took it back to the sales desk and showed them the remains of the piece. She responded with the price and asked for payment. Before, I could say a word, get out my wallet, or do anything, my friend said, “I will pay for it.” And she did. Nothing I said would persuade her otherwise and I felt terrible. Now that it was hers, we looked it over and realized that the intended purpose of this little cactus was to be placed over a votive candle since it was covered with small holes. Also, with the broken pieces at the top and back, it could be nestled high enough among other things hiding the imperfections. But this gracious lady said to me, “I will use it in one of my talks to the ladies. It will be a perfect example of God’s love.” She saw possibility in the brokenness. What a perfect example of how God sees us, always looking beyond our futile attempts to glue ourselves back together. Or, we even try to stand just right so the misaligned parts don’t show. But, we will never be flawless until God puts us back together. His love for us was shown in the cross when all that sin and brokenness was stamped Paid in Full – just like my friend did for me at the store. Now, our intended purpose can be fulfilled and the light of Jesus will shine through us to those around when we tell our story of healing and wholeness. Don’t let brokenness stop you from taking that next step along your intended path but rejoice in God’s love. May the lyrics from a favorite children’s song, “I am a Promise,”encourage you today:
I am a promise
I am a possibility
I am a promise with a capital “P”
I am a great big bundle of potentiality
And I am learnin’ to hear God’s voice
And I am tryin’ to make the right choice
I am a promise to be anything God wants me to be.