“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” ~Romans 8:28
My friend has been going through some rough times, and I decided that I had the perfect solution to help her blow off some steam. I needed to break up some ceramic tiles for a project I was planning, so I offered to let her help. She came over with not one but two hammers in hand, ready to expend some energy doing, what she called "destruction with a purpose."
We went into the garage, donned protective eyewear, and proceeded to destroy several tiles. She was doing a much better job than I of breaking them, and kept harping on my technique.
"You gotta put some muscle into it! Hold the hammer further down the handle and give it some power! Don't just "tap" it! Whack it!!"
Hmmmm . is she enjoying this a little too much? Maybe she had more aggression to expend than I realized. =)
Not my project. :-) from www.tradenote.net/mosaic
As we worked, we filled two boxes full of broken tiles of different shapes and sizes. These would eventually (hopefully) become a thing of beauty, but at that moment they were just a bunch of broken pieces.
Broken pieces.
A thing of beauty.
Isn't that what God does with us? God takes the broken pieces of our lives and creates a thing of beauty. It's a wonderful picture: God putting the pieces of our lives together; the potter remolding the clay; the Master picking up the bow of the old violin.
At church we sometimes sing the lyrics, "Brokenness, brokenness is what I long for. Brokenness is what I need. Brokenness is what you want from me."
I don't know about you, but, while it is painful, we endure hardship knowing one some level that it will work out for good. But have you ever considered that sometimes God might be the one wielding the hammer?
"So take my heart and form it,
take my mind, transform it
take my will, conform it to yours, oh Lord."
How does he form, transform, conform?
Yes, most certainly there are consequences to our sins, and those consequences usually break us to some extent. Jason Kent made a grave mistake and is now in prison with a life sentence. Yet, God has used the consequences of his sin to transform him into a man with a passion to reach other inmates for Christ. His parents, too, though they are suffering the consequences of Jason's sin as well, have also had their eyes opened to a "whole new world" and are reaching out to families of inmates.
And yes, most certainly there are difficult circumstances resulting from the fallen world we live in that shake our core and threaten to destroy us. Surely Steven Curtis Chapman's family stands broken before God today in the wake of their daughter's death. Yet just as surely, I am confident that they will eventually emerge from the tragedy having been transformed more into His image.
Still, while it is terribly uncomfortable to think about, sometimes, in his ultimate wisdom and goodness, God brings about the uncomfortable, breaking moments at His will.
Well, Lucifer, have you considered my servant Job?
Abraham, I want you to sacrifice your son, Isaac.
Moses, you need to hang out in the wilderness for, oh, say forty years, to get ready for your next assignment.
Esther, who knows but that you have come to this position for such a time as this?
Isaiah, here I am in all of my glory. Get a good look …
Hosea, take for yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness …
Mary, Joseph, I know people are going to scorn and reject you, and say nasty things but ... you will call him Jesus.
Lazarus is sick? Well, give me a couple more days …
Uncomfortable, isn’t it?
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” ~James 1:2-4
“But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” ~2 Corinthians 12:9-10
I suppose, like my friend and I did in the garage, that even as God is wielding the hammer and breaking the tiles of our lives, he has a most beautiful project in mind.
As long as God is the artist, I suppose a mosaic would be a good thing to be.
This was one of those "stupid" things...thanks!
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