3 min. read
*This post first appeared May 14, 2008
Life has been a whirlwind of late. Financial strains, life circumstance, not feeling in control of it all (that last one is hard for me to deal with). Last week, the Nieces were in Nashville, TN visiting family and friends. I was looking forward to a fun time of catching up with folks from my old hometown. Yet it seemed that sadness pervaded.
via // https://nurturingfaith.wordpress.com/2008/11/
The Brokenness
We stayed with some good friends who just a few months ago lost their baby an hour after he was born. Several late-night talks with them were difficult and sad and heart-wrenching.
We had some extended family news come our way that shook life circumstances for Heather’s side of the family.
A good family friend, mentor, and church leader at my old stomping grounds unexpectedly took his own life.
All of this during our “vacation.”
I have been experiencing a lot of sadness, brokenness, doubting, and feelings of helplessness of late.
The Beauty
Yet here’s what I’m learning:
God has a way of weaving beauty out of brokenness and despair.
I’m not one of those who blames God for everything. I mean, if God really controlled everything with the way the world is today, that’s not a God I could worship, much less serve.
No, it seems that Scripture and experience tells us that evil just happens. Yet in the midst of evil, God longs to be in relationship with his creation. And if we let him, God will create something surprising and wonderful out of the shards of sadness, grief, despair, and hopelessness that invade our lives from time to time.
So, with the happenings I mentioned above, we got to spend quality time with some best friends during their dark days of anger and despair. We got to hug and be present and just listen. All in all experiencing a deeper level of friendship … and they did too.
We see my wife’s family pulling together with others in their faith community to truly seek God’s leading in their situation.
We were able to be with and comfort the family of our friend. We remembered his actions of love and compassion throughout his life. We saw his young grandson turn to God’s story in the days that followed in order to make sense of the situation.
God is weaving something beautiful, even when all seems lost.
God is faithful to love us and care for us, even when we feel abandoned.
God is relentless in his activity to create wonder and hope, even when we feel like he has nothing to work with.
This is the God I worship. This is the God I serve. This is the God I’m anticipating will surprise me again soon in wonderful ways.
So Tell Me Something
How is God taking your brokenness and making something surprising and wonderful out of it?