A dear friend calls — her marriage is on the brink of despair. Another texts, “Please pray; I am losing my home.” Some of us feel the pain of estranged relatives or friends. Somehow, the holidays just magnify the pain.
Shattered glass: a broken menagerie in the world. Really all of our souls are like that — fragile glass from different colored bottles. The fragments seem to fly everywhere as if dropped from a great height. Sometimes our hearts feel like that.
However, God takes the broken pieces and carefully puts them back together. Oh, not in the way we expect, but in a more beautiful way, If we give him the pieces. While having my pity party one day, a thought occurred to me. Why, the magnificent stained glass images in church are made of just that — broken, shattered glass! By themselves, the shards have no meaning, but together the variety colors of broken glass make a most beautiful and penetrating picture.
Such is the picture of our lives. Sometimes, I hear or witness the most heart-wrenching stories, but now I know God uses the brokenness to shine through and give us His warmth and hope. God’s loving word says, “The Lord is close to the broken hearted, those who are crushed in Spirit, He saves.” (Psalm 34:19)
And again, “My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.” (Psalm 51:19) To me this means, that my wholeness will occur when I am contrite or sincerely sorry for my fault, or sin, in a broken relationship. This opens the door to God’s mercy and my healing.
Whatever difficulty we may be facing, God is just making a more beautiful picture. No, He does not enjoy seeing us in pain, but He can use it to strengthen us. For instance, friends with distant marriages use their free time to help others. One woman losing her home realizes she now is free from being tied to “things” and has learned to rely on the Lord more. Those who have lost friendships find newer, more fulfilling ones.
If we look back, we might realize that at our lowest points, God was closer than ever! Perhaps we just didn’t see Him. He was picking up the pieces of our broken heart and carefully placing them one by one into the most fitting place on the tapestry of our soul. The divine artist knows what He’s doing. Go ahead; offer Him the pieces of your brokenness. In the end, you will realize it all served a higher purpose.
© Mary Mitchell, 2016
Mary Mitchell
Mary Mitchell, from Chicago, is a devout Catholic who likes to mix the divine truth with humor. She thinks it's the only way we can get through this life! Mary is the mother of three and has been married to her husband, Philip, more than 20 years. She has attempted to live the vows as a Secular Franciscan for about 20 years, but has a long way to go.
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