Subscription Lists

Back in 1971 when I was in the 10th grade my good friend David and I were raiding the refridgerator at my home in search of an afterschool snack!! Mom came into the kitchen with a prized possession...a beautiful hurricane glass shade that she had just picked up for FREE by using her trading stamps that she had been saving from the local A & P grocery store. (Are you old enough to remember trading stamps??) Mom had saved her stamps for months with the specific goal of getting this beautiful hurricane glass shade. David and I sat at the kitchen counter munching on some leftover pizza as mom began to unwrap her cherished treasure to show it off to us...but as she did so it slipped out of her hands, fell to the kithcen floor, and broke into hundreds of pieces. She was absolutely devastated! For some strange reason David and I found humor in the situation and laughed. I learned something that day...don't ever laugh when your momma is upset!!! As the old saying goes..."When momma ain't happy, there ain't nobody happy."

The word 'broken' usually brings a negative image to our minds...a broken toy, a broken car, a broken computer, a broken fingernail, and even a broken hurricane glass shade. But brokenness before God has an entirely different meaning, and a very positive result.

When difficulties come to us and our life feels like it has broken into hundreds of pieces - God has a specific purpose for allowing that hardship. God desires to bring every area of our lives into submission to Him and there are time He must break us free from anything working against His divine plan.

So, if we are clinging to wrong relationships, wrong job situations, wrong habits, - the breaking process can be extremely painful. But the incredible thing is that in the midst of our brokenness God's power is demonstrated in the greatest way.

James 1:2-5 reminds us that when we have the difficult times of our life and are experiencing brokenness...God is using that journey to help grow, mature, to become strong in our faith, and to become more like Him. God doesn't laugh at our brokenness...He wants to use it to draw us closer to Him!

There's a praise chorus that comes to mind as I think of 'brokenness'...

"Brokenness is what I long for.
Brokenness is what I need.
Brokenness is what You want from me. So take my heart and form it.
Take my life and transform it.
Take my will and conform it to Your's, O Lord!"

"Bible verse and quote" from Jan Couns

Bible and Quote - March 11-15