Thursday, January 16, 2014

When Broken Is Beautiful

Three flights of stairs means I get my share and plenty more of running up and down the stairs to take laundry to the basement for washing and drying. It's been particularly rainy in our area over the last two weeks - so when I hear the rain, wind, and a little crack of thunder involved, I am instantly taken back to one of my favorite cartoon characters - "Snoopy" from the Peanuts gang . . . ON TOP of his house pounding those keys into "It was a DARK AND STORMY night." Come to think of it, he has been my inspiration at times for writing. Or pecking the thing out on a type writer.
So . . . while hitting those steps one night, while it was dark and stormy outside - I happened to get a glimpse of the window payne that was broken. In that moment, in that darkness - where the light was pushing through the brokeness of the window - I saw a beautiful, shiny prism and it made my heart smile. I felt the LORD speaking into my own heart for this moment saying "you see, even though you may be broken - your life is still beautiful because you allow ME to shine through." Sometimes, life has a way of breaking each of us. Over the last year and a half - I've not really "written." Life had been way to serious and painful and busy. Meaning, there was never any time to write and if there was - the grief and pain was just too difficult. The ONE thing that continued to fuel my heart was Philippians 4:13 - "I can do ALL things through CHRIST which strengthens me." I am so thankful that the LORD never left me during this time. HE is always FAITHFUL.

Prayer

My 53 years old idea of praying is tremendously different than my 10-year-old prayers, my 16-year-old prayers, and even my 27-year-old praye...