Shards of glass

 There are times I look back over my life, and I stand amazed! I recall days when my heart was torn apart, broken beyond what I thought could ever be repaired, let alone be used. There were shards, like broken glass, that had fallen to the ground, and I expected that nothing could ever be done with them...different shapes and various sizes of fragments, and depending on the season of my life, they appeared in rainbows of colors.

I think most of us would conclude that chips and pieces should simply be swept away, gathered together and tossed aside. But sometimes those remnants can be picked up and shaped, cleaned and polished, and be used for another purpose...perhaps pieces can be put together by a master artist, who knows exactly how those pieces can fit together to create something beautiful, something breathtaking! Alone, those scraps seem useless, and may only serve as reminders of how the break came to be, how we were clumsy and let something valuable fall from our hands, or how someone else broke what was ours. But when those shattered pieces are carefully, skillfully brought together, we might find something really remarkable.

photo credit: http://www.slightlyastray.com/sainte-chapelle-cathedral/

And so it is in life...but when our brokenness is in the hands of the Master Artist, He can bring beauty out of our shattered past, and create a place where His glory can shine through. The focus isn't on the pieces of glass, but how they all come together like a tapestry to form a breathtaking vision, spilling color and warmth however the light shines through. There is such value in surrendering our shards of glass to the One who holds the master plan.

photo credit: https://www.art-days.com/nasir-al-mulk-mosque-iran/