Psalm 34:17-18
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Waves washed the shore as we ambled on the sand, in
the morning sun.
On Kelleys Island, Tim and I searched for lake
glass and colorful rocks, along their small coastal beach. I love finding pieces
of glass that the waters have tumbled and refined. The bottle, or whatever the glass piece is topples
into the lake. Over time the fragile piece falls against the rocks and breaks. The
ebb and flow of the lake's water tosses the glass back and forth, bumping it
into sand and debris, replacing the sharp, broken pieces with beauty.
When I find an ideal fragment, the jagged edges are
smoothed away and a subtle, frosted sheen covers the surface.
The sharp broken edges are transformed into perfection.
Like the jagged glass, the struggle with
forgiveness results in broken edges for the soul. Anger results with more sharp
edges and brokenness. Life hasn't turned out how you planned. Disappointment
sharpens another edge. Friends turn away, church leaves you empty, you've
tumbled down a hole of sin and destruction. Rejection and hurt cause
the heart to break; the sharp edges to poke and injure.
God who formed the lakes and oceans, wants to take
the broken pieces of our lives and create beauty. Sorrow, sadness, anger, sin,
betrayal, hurt; he will take them all and sand off the sharp edges through
grace. In that grace, he offers hope. The hope of a new life in him.
God will fill the emptiness and turn the sorrow
into joy. He loves the brokenhearted and wants nothing more than to heal the
wounded soul. Pray to him for forgiveness, help, and guidance. He will takes
the sharp, broken edges and replace them with peace and hope.
