Brokenness

Well I haven't blogged for AGES - there are many reasons that I won't bore you with but there has been stuff stirring in my heart for weeks and so here I am after work sat at a keyboard.......

Over recent months there have been many tears, many moments of taking time to get that courageous face on, of stopping before I open the door to go out of the house and reading the verses expertly positioned to muster strength for the next thing before I step in front of anyone.  A brief moment sat in the car to pray that I would love well the person in front of me, to bless those around and to encourage those that I see whilst knowing on so many levels my heart is in pieces.  Courage to worship, love others and be a blessing at the same time as working through so many different thoughts and situations in my head and in life.  I am constantly encouraged that God uses the weak things of the World - we don't have to have it altogether, be completely sorted, be on top of everything in order for Him to use us.  To step into our weakness and say 'ok God here I am use me anyway'.  Spurgeon said something along the lines of  "God does not need our strength He has more than enough of that Himself; He needs our weakness - that He can use in His mighty hand."

So amidst brokenness and my musings in recent times let me share a few wee thoughts.  One of our favourite TV programmes at the moment is a programme called 'The Repair Shop' we don't see it very often but sometimes we do or we get to watch it on catch up.  For those who haven't seen it: people take items that are broken to this specialist barn where they fix it.  The items are usually old and usually hold a great deal of sentimental value being links to long passed family members or conjure precious memories for people.  The stories behind the items are often emotional and it isn't unusual to find me or my husband, or both of us, in tears as people recount the story, the person or the memory behind the item.

Very often the items looked like they are useless, worthless, that they should be headed to the bin or just discarded.  This is where my thoughts kick in - I often feel like that; beyond repair, not worth a thing, not worth bothering about, useless, worthless and ready for the nearest trash can....... but what happens at this repair shop on TV.  The item is passed to the person with the right skills - metal worker, leather worker, expert sewers, wood workers and even sometimes skills are combined.  As I have watched this programme I have been struck by various things over these master craftsmen and craftswomen.
1.  They take their time.
2. They know exactly what the item needs and how to restore it.
3. When support is needed during repair they will build or set something to hold the item.
4. They take extreme care.
5. They know the story behind it from the owner and so they care and they show it.
6. Their skill knows the tools to use or when tools are to harsh they may work by hand.

All these things got me thinking about how God handles us in the midst of our own brokenness. When we come to Him broken, battered and bruised. When we come with our hurt, our questions, our pain, our feelings of worthlessness.  At this very point THE Master Craftsman, THE Creator, THE Lover of our Souls, THE author of salvation takes His time with us, knows exactly what we need, knows the support needed, knows the care required, knows the full story behind every scar, pain, heartache and broken piece, His skill as He takes us into His hand and lovingly touches the areas where healing, restoration and reassurance are needed.  We can trust our lives with His skills. 

I know some have talked to me about the amazing art of Kintsugi where gold is used to repair broken items.  Where after repair the item is more beautiful and more valuable.  How precious is that.  Surely there is no one better to handle our brokenness than the Lord God - the Maker of the Heavens and the Earth; the Sustainer of it all.  His Creation is merely the outer fringes of His amazingness - so today as I sit here pondering brokenness I know that the Master Craftsman has hands that are strong enough to fling stars into space and at the same time gentle enough to wipe away my tears.  When others do not understand where you are at, where your questions are ones that can't be asked, where your brokenness is raw and your heartache is painful - take heart that He knows and He cares.  His intimate love for you is truly mind-blowing but is something we have to grasp in order to trust Him with all the pieces.  The late Warren Wiersbe said 'God can heal the brokenhearted if all the pieces are given to Him.' So lay all your brokenness on the wooden cross and remember - by His stripes we are healed.  By His hands we are restored; by His touch we can know strength for today and tomorrow.