Beauty in the Broken

Just take a moment. Think of the worst thing that you have ever been through. The absolute worst. Whether you are the only one that knows what happened, or everyone knows what happened....think about it. Is it really the worst thing that's happened?

I really want you to think of THE worst thing EVER in your LIFE.

I'm 24 years old. I know I have a LOT of life to live. Life that I feel is going to be beautiful. I say that as tears well up in my eyes due to all the beauty that has come out of my brokenness. The thing is...most everyone who is close to me knows where I have been. They know the story. They saw the beautiful life I had waiting ahead of me as I watched the dream be crumbled right in front of my eyes. Each day got worse, each hour was harder and every cherished moment suddenly was vanishing before me - I suddenly could not see the dream I felt God had created for my life. 

THAT was the WORST thing I have ever been through. Hands down. In 24 years-that is the worst. 

Guess what?!  You know where I have been and God knew I was strong enough to go through it all.  Now, re-read that....You know where I have been and God knew I was strong enough to go through it all.  Wow. Overwhelming feelings immediately run over me. 

I knew God was with me during my struggles for those months. I was stronger than ever during the "hard time". Persevering in my faith through prayer was the only thing that kept me alive, motivated and hopeful. However...what came after being broken is what stands out to me. . . .

This has been the "hardest" part for me. What happens when the hard time is over and done with? You should breath a sigh of relief, right?!?!  You have finished your last prayer and you say "I am done with that. I am moving on. Help me move on." Let me tell you - this is exactly the hardest part of the hard part in life. 

Do not be like me and let the fact you are upset affect every part of your life. Do not...may I repeat...do NOT punish yourself for something that was completely out of your/our control. Do not stand by and let life just happen. You loose time. It goes by quickly. You only have one life to live. Live it.

So....

Let the Potter begin his process. We have to surrender. We have to say...Lord

I am in a million different pieces and I do not know which piece to pick up first. 

Should I..."renew my relationships? Try harder at finding the one? Find a new job? Pack up and move away? Leave this situation entirely? Cut off that friendship? Never speak of that hard time again? How do I move on?! How do I forgive myself for letting so much time get away? How will I ever recover from this? I can't see my future anymore."

Isaiah 64:8 "Father, you are the Potter, I am the clay - mold me into Your creation." Once we have been formed into this beautiful person and have suddenly been thrown to the ground and shattered into a million pieces...it is okay to not know which piece to pick up first. Trust me, I had no idea...I still am not sure of where my life is going...but!

There is BEAUTY IN THE BROKEN...we have to turn to God and ask HIM to rework us. Remold us. Become the clay again for Him to mold into a new person/a WHOLE person. We will never be the same because you can NEVER duplicate something exactly like it was. However, second chances are beautiful. We get to start over. We get to move on. Our second chance is to start over and move on. It may not be the dream we had envisioned in the beginning....but God promises us that if we are faithful to Him - He will be faithful to us. 

Let the brokenness be beautiful in your life. Do not only be strong DURING the hard time. Do not only be TOUGH when it is time to get over something. Let what you do after you have been broken...shattered to pieces on the floor....be the part where you start to work even harder. 

You get to start over. Let the brokenness be beautiful by showing off what you become after "the hardest thing you've ever been through." 

LOVE to you all...<3