There is no greater place than a place of belonging. May we have eyes to see those around us that have no circle of acceptance; and the discernment to identify the times when we are searching for refuge in things that were never meant to be our safe sanctuary. Jesus give us the grace to know where our true fountain of comfort and peace flows, our belonging place. May we strip off the weight of busyness so we may notice who needs to be seen and refuel in our places of shelter. Amen.
Around 5:30 this morning we were jolted awake by the most terrifying, booming noises and sounds of shattering glass. All this set off our glass shattering detector on our alarm, triggering that chaos as well. To be shocked out of a deep sleep to that kind of noise is paralyzingly. It sounded like our house was being bombed. All I could think of was where my kids were and getting to them, but I could not move.
Praise God the only casualties were material things. This was a very heavy mirror. We did not move the pictured chest that was against the wall, pre-fall. The force of the mirror thrust the chest out into the room. Everything on the chest, two lamps and a heavy, leaded glass bowl full of cut glass decorative ornaments, was shattered.
One thing survived untouched. That is a special picture of Carter and Macey in the black frame that has always been in that exact place. The picture not only didn’t break, it didn’t even move. Of all the things in the zone of destruction the picture frame was the most vulnerable because it is very light and made of weak material, yet it prevailed without even a nudge in another direction. Interesting!
This photo does not do the mess justice. Chards of glass spanned three rooms, floors are badly scratched and debris is everywhere. None of this is going to Heaven with me except my children, and I think the status of their picture so sweetly reminds me of that. Thank you God for all the little blessings in the big messes of our lives. A photo is worth a thousand words; Your words of faithfulness and protection.
Hey you, hey me, the thirsty, the desperate, the depleted, the exhausted…those barriers, wounds and struggles in our lives are not present by accident. They are there by assignment. Things that challenge us to our core either create or crush us. They are available for our gain and God’s glory. The difference in destroying us or defining us is our resolve to find the meaning and mission in our messes.
Trials do not always come from God‘s hands, but they come through them. We can rest in that. He has touched every tragedy and challenge before we endured it.
Our tears are sifted by God before they are shed by us. He has held them, and He will heal them in His time and according to His purpose.
The new year is sometimes more of the old, the hard and the worn out. You are not alone. Let your perspective be colored by God’s purpose, not your pain. He is working on our behalf. Believe it, look for it, expect it and never lose hope! We can give rest to our resolving, riddled souls, because one thing is for sure, relief will come through God’s strength, not our striving. It will be in His timing not our tweaking. Father, give us all the grace to REST in your sovereign authority today and all days. When we forget, gently turn us away from our struggles and back to your safe shelter. Amen.