For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (TITUS 2:11-14)
Today is the very first day of July, and the fourth is soon to arrive, officially marking the traditional middle of the summer. At this stage of life, for me the days seem to rush through quickly, and not staying as long in the memory banks, either. I know one season doesn’t seem to take as long to roll into the next and I stand at the door of a new decade. How can this be? I was just 18 not that long ago.
Would I want to be ushered back to age 20 were I given the opportunity? No, I can't say that I would desire that. At least not without the wisdom that greater years has afforded me. Are there things I would leave out? Perhaps, but the puzzle of my life would not look the same without them. Some of those pieces, both positive and negative in my judgement, changed the picture altogether, the developing portrait—my selfie!
One of the things I thought in my youth was that self-control was all that I (or anyone else) needed to live the Christian life. If one fully had self-control, one could be Christian with very little stumbles, thereby pleasing God and shining in one's community as "Christian"! One could please virtually everyone with it, collect pats on the back, and cross the finish line with a smile and an "I did it His way". The responsibility was all mine to accomplish it--an academic pursuit of Bible knowledge and staying in the lines of that knowledge, would be the way to the goal. My love for God was clearly felt and that is how I interpreted the Biblical way to pleasing God. A problem with my approach was that I never seemed able to please, and I began to concentrate heavily on how I was failing rather than succeeding at this work.
What I began to notice when I got closer to mid-life was that this truth I held to be self-evident and some others, were clearly not true and definitely not enough. I had suppressed the emotions of childhood trauma and pressure had been building. Something had to give—my thinking and my feelings were separating and going in opposite directions. It was getting harder to hold it all in. The veneer of my life was rather like thin glass which, little by little, began to crack, and splinter, looking more like a spider's web of breakage. With just a little touch of pressure to it, a shattering was near. I had no idea how to mend the glass and prevent the callapse of my emotional life.
Enter the Christian Mission.
At the advice of a friend, I called the Mission and was immediately, carefully, and lovingly examined and protected. Through the Holy Spirit's promptings, they touched the painful brokenness and held my hand as the fissures of long stuffed emotions came billowing out, from small surface feelings to deep places of formerly capped grief. And amazingly, I allowed them to do it. They traced the cracks back to their point of origin--where wounds had left the dead flesh of wrong conclusions and dead feelings. They debrided, so that new, healthy growth began to bring healing. They began to fill in the cracks with their love, which helped me feel God’s love. My emotions and my thinking began to unite again. The fragmentation began to disappear as the sheet of glass that was my filter, became more whole and strong.
Believe it or not, real glass actually can be strengthened by intentionally weakening it with microscopic, designed cracks. The scars are then filled with polyurethane, and the glass has then made 200 times stronger. The scars remain to some degree and are forever part of the beauty of the piece.
Glass can also be strengthened by infusing it with metals or aluminum. This type of glass is often used on the exteriors of some of the highest buildings in the world.
In similar ways, our Designer engineers the pattern of our cracks and fills them with the compound called His love, The pattern that remains is the evidence of His grace over time. We are stronger because we now love Him and cling to Him, bonded in a way we would never be without being broken. The more we love Him, the more we seek Him and bond closely to His grace, the more we let go of any passion of the world that holds us in its grip. He creates from us a high rise, where He is lifted up. By letting His love shine through our brokenness, we are His artistic workmanship and He is glorified. Gracefully broken, lovingly restored!
Check out this powerful song at the following link:
https://youtu.be/AzZC3EbH6iE
Do you feel you are shattered on the inside? This is the opportunity for you to be purposefully and skillfully restored. Don’t live in brokenness any longer...call the Mission and become His special artistry. It's time! Share this with someone you love who also needs to know!