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I dropped a glass container filled with many things. The glass shattered into broken pieces and the container is unrecoverable. However, I carefully went through the debris, separating the trash from the treasure. There I was cautiously sorting items, trying to avoid cuts and bruises from carelessly handling the mess I've made. I must admit, I was sad about the loss of my fancy bowl of stuff. I gathered all that was salvageable. Some items didn't falter under the forceful impact.
As we go through life often we gather a circle of friends, habits, and philosophies with pride but when the bottom drops out of our lives many of them will fail us. Eventually we sift through the remaining relationships, behaviors and ideas. Trying times do not allow us to discover who others really are but instead we discover our authentic self. The stress test of life are trials and tragedy that prove us. Suffering does this amazing work because through trials we gain character.
Through the looking glass things are distorted, they just aren't real. I find myself clinging to imaginary relationships, fictitious ideas and invisible truths. My perceptions are incapable of accounting for the hidden things. They presume that all things are laid bare when quite often I don't really see what I think I see.
Someone once said "God never uses anybody to a large degree, until after he breaks that one all to pieces." We know that Christ's life outpours into many. Before Jesus went to the cross He broke bread and gave it to his disciples explaining to them that this is how His body would be broken and given to them.
Many of us are trying to get a breakthrough in our family, financial, or job situation. Breaking through is being stressed so that God can shatter self life out of us for the emerging kingdom life. Only then can we share greater depths of His love and grace with others. As we are broken if we allow God to have His way, He will separate the trash from the treasure. We will come forth with a right perception of His grace, a clear understanding of our limitation and a greater revelation of His love.
In the mist of suffering, why not allow our brokeness to serve a greater purpose? Why should we settle for brokeness? Pray for the perfecting work. It is when brokeness bring forth the break through of an enduring faith, a perserving faith, and proven faith to believe God period. To trust God period. Strangely enough a deeply rooted faith does not occur in spite of brokeness but through brokeness.
Just remember when visible things are being broken invisible things are coming together.
