Some time ago a friend of mine came to visit. It has been a few months that we have not seen each other. I knew that she has had some difficulties to work through. She looked very beautiful, yet I could see that behind her quick smile, the tears were hiding. After exchanging the usual pleasantries, and catching up with our children's latest capers, a silence settled on us. Then the dam wall burst. The sadness poured from her, and she confessed that she felt so broken. Despite trying to put what happened behind her, and making every effort to forgive and forget, it felt to her as if she was fighting a losing battle. She told me that she felt as if she would never again be the same person she was before it all happened.
I am sure that as you read this, you can identify with these feelings. I certainly can. Most of us have experienced painful situations at some time in our lives. Events which shook our foundations and left us heartbroken. Things that wrapped us in a heavy cloak of despair, leaving us bewildered and desperate.
Feelings of worthlessness threatened to rob us of our identity and our confidence. Depression, self-loathing and anxiety take up residence in our thoughts. Denial, anger and feelings of hopelessness all vie for equal rights to our emotions. Our feelings become our new reality.
The one thing my friend remarked on though, is very true. She will never again be the same person she was before it all happened. None of us, having gone through some or other trauma, is ever the same person again. You see, we are like a mirror. When a mirror falls, it gets chipped, or it shatters. It would seem as if it is the end of the road for that mirror. The pieces are scattered everywhere. Most people will sweep the shards together and throw them away, but a few of us will see the potential lying at our feet. We will carefully gather the pieces, because we know that, with time, care and a bit of glue, something beautiful can be born from the shattered mirror. Yes, it will never be the same again. The spaces in between each carefully placed piece will always tell a story of pain and hardship. The once smooth surface will now reflect a multitude of different angles and images. In the hands of a craftsman the broken pieces are reformed into something of even greater value than before. Each fracture is forming a part of a new masterpiece.
It is in this that we find a miracle. God, the Master Craftsman, takes the broken pieces of our lives and makes something beautiful from them. Something better than we could ever imagine or even hope for. He finds a place for even the smallest fragment, and over time, when we take a step back from the pain and sadness, His perfect plan for our lives falls into place.
A mosaic of surprising beauty.
Feelings of worthlessness threatened to rob us of our identity and our confidence. Depression, self-loathing and anxiety take up residence in our thoughts. Denial, anger and feelings of hopelessness all vie for equal rights to our emotions. Our feelings become our new reality.
The one thing my friend remarked on though, is very true. She will never again be the same person she was before it all happened. None of us, having gone through some or other trauma, is ever the same person again. You see, we are like a mirror. When a mirror falls, it gets chipped, or it shatters. It would seem as if it is the end of the road for that mirror. The pieces are scattered everywhere. Most people will sweep the shards together and throw them away, but a few of us will see the potential lying at our feet. We will carefully gather the pieces, because we know that, with time, care and a bit of glue, something beautiful can be born from the shattered mirror. Yes, it will never be the same again. The spaces in between each carefully placed piece will always tell a story of pain and hardship. The once smooth surface will now reflect a multitude of different angles and images. In the hands of a craftsman the broken pieces are reformed into something of even greater value than before. Each fracture is forming a part of a new masterpiece.
It is in this that we find a miracle. God, the Master Craftsman, takes the broken pieces of our lives and makes something beautiful from them. Something better than we could ever imagine or even hope for. He finds a place for even the smallest fragment, and over time, when we take a step back from the pain and sadness, His perfect plan for our lives falls into place.
A mosaic of surprising beauty.
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