Psalms 38:8-9 (NIV®)
I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart. All my longings lie open before you, Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you.
She fell in love at a young age. He was her guy and she was his girl. They grew up together, went to college, had kids. He started his own business and became a bi-vocational pastor. They made ends meet. There was no great overflow of money but they had enough. They had each other. They were a family. Probably all she’d ever dreamed of was realized… until it wasn’t. Until the day came when he left her. It was almost unimaginable, but he had decided to go after another woman and leave her and the children behind. She was devastated. Not only had she lost her dream, she lost the love of her life.
In the coming years she did all she could do. She was resilient. She worked three jobs to make up for the income lost in order to support herself and the children left in the home. She never said one cross word about the man who had left her behind. She pointed her children and grandchildren to Jesus and made sure they knew the importance of being a christian. Even on her deathbed, she remembered and felt the pain of what she had lost when she lost her soulmate, but God had used her in the lives of so many men and women through her work and worship. She stayed faithful and was so very loved by all who knew her.
Brokenness comes in many packages. We all have experienced it in some shape or manner. If you think you haven’t, it’s just because you haven’t yet lived long enough. Sometimes we are broken from what others do to us and sometimes we are broken because of what we do to ourselves. In either instance, brokenness really doesn’t ever go away. It is something we overcome. It is something God uses in each of our lives to draw us closer to Him and, if we let Him, something He helps us move beyond. In some instances, it changes the trajectory of our lives. In all instances, He can produce good things from it if we will let Him.
On this Mother’s Day, I want to first, honor my beautiful Mother who rose above all the adversity she faced and remained faithful to God and trusted Him with her life and broken dreams. Then, I want to encourage you. Whether you are a Mother or not, take some time today to think. Are there places you have been broken that hinder you? Grieve for your loss. Then give that loss as a sacrifice to God. Offer it to Him and ask for His help. The pain you have may always be there but in God’s hands it can be molded and shaped into something beautiful. Allow Him to use it to fulfill His purposes in this world through your life. Allow Him to use you in the lives of others. Give Him permission to do what He wants with your broken pieces. Allow Him to move you beyond broken.
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