I have specific moments from my life that I know that I know were allowed because God was ready for me to go to a new level in my relationship with Him. Whether it was the transformation from a hard heart to a strong one, or the realization that letting go allowed me to move forward, there have been key moments of brokenness that God has used to shape me into the person He knows I can be.
Sometimes it’s taken the better part of a decade to see what God was about to do with one of those broken moments. But God doesn’t waste anything, and every one of those cracked, messed up, nowhere else to go but to look up moments was transformed into something for my good.
There have been broken friendships, broken hearts, broken expectations, broken dreams. But God has restored and redeemed them all and created something infinitely more beautiful out of the pieces. I didn’t know I could be stronger after feeling broken until God filled in the gaps with His strength.
In fitness you learn that the way to build muscle is to first tear down the muscle that’s already there. That’s why you feel sore after a workout, because your muscle fibers are rebuilding and recovering. And that process of tearing down and building up is what gives us strength.
The same is true in other parts of our lives. Something hard happens and we feel tender. Our hearts are sore and yet, as we take the time to work that same muscle, whether it’s our heart, or our faith, or our belief in other people, it gets stronger. You can do a little more each time without feeling as broken because you’re growing stronger. God is healing and rebuilding as He transforms your heart to reflect His.
Tomorrow when I’m sore from my workout, I’ll remind myself to be grateful for the work that goes on deep inside, long after I’ve put in my effort. Because God is at work in us, always, and when we do the work He’s asked us to do, He’ll do the work He’s promised to do. And through each of those little cracks left behind from the places He’s put us together, we’ll move out of the way so Christ can shine through us.
Great analogy!!
Loved this post. Indeed those broken things are what make me the woman I am today. They totally shaped me. Through those cracks, Christ’s light shines. I love that image. Your post also made me think it Gungor’s song “Beautiful things.”
hmmm You may have just altered my thinking.
This is so good. When my 4-day-old vomited blood; when that 4-day-old-turned-8-year-old ended up in PICU with Type 1 Diabetes, Celiac Disease, and a 10K medical bill just after my husband lost his job; when my youngest nearly lost his finger in a slammed door… Those were hard, hard times, but if I had to do it all over again and could choose to avoid those awful situations, I’m not sure that I’d want to give up the beauty that the Lord brought from them. Thank you for such an excellent reminder. I know that there will be hard days coming, probably more difficult than what I’ve already experienced. But remembering that God can and will use those coming trials for His glory and my good, just as He has the trials in the past, will enable me to endure them with grace.
I so needed to read this today, thank you!
Love this Crystal! So true! The refining fire is something to be truly thankful for!!! And yes, I have the “sore” from the workout going on right now – but I am thankful for that too!!! Thanks for your continued encouragement!
I love this. What beautiful encouragement!
This was beautiful.