The Broken Can Be Used

While walking the beach and picking up shells, Jolie Rae made a comment that has stuck with me and I overthought on it like I tend to do.

While walking, she grabbed a half buried shell that looked beautiful but when she got it out of the sand we seen that it was busted up. After looking it over she says “ew, we can’t keep that one it’s broken” and threw it back.

I started thinking, “man, I’m glad God isn’t like that when it comes to us.”
No matter how many bumps or bruises we may get, or how many holes we have or pieces missing from us, He’s always waiting with open arms.

Now, I know she said she couldn’t keep it because it was broken but truth is her bucket was filled with broken shells that she loved. I think she just didn’t keep this one because it wasn’t what she was expecting. It had looked so beautiful when it was half buried, but once it was dug up she seen the brokenness and was let down.

How many times do we put on a show for others? What we show on the surface is polished and put together, what we hide down below is brokenness and hurt. People may be surprised if the hurt we hide ever surfaces but God is never surprised. He is all knowing and is waiting on us to bring that hurt to him.

I know me nor Jolie could fix the broken shell but it made me smile knowing that there is one who can fix our brokenness.

We may not be able to fix ourselves just like we couldn’t fix that shell, but our God is able to do exceeding and abundantly above all that we could ever ask or even think (and I know I tend to ask for A LOT, like a lot a lot).

So today have peace in knowing that He cares about you so much so that He knows how many hairs are on your head and He’s waiting on you to turn all your worries and faults over to Him.

Just like all the shells in my hand below are all different, it takes all kinds of people to make up the body of Christ.

We aren’t all going to look alike, we aren’t all going to be whole, and we aren’t all going to have the same job/functions. Some of us may be the head while the other is the pinky toe. But if that pinky toe were cut off it would throw the whole body’s balance off. You’re important no matter what your role may be.

These shells were literally hand picked because of their differences and flaws, there’s even some rocks in there. If they were all the same size, shape, and color then I wouldn’t have chosen them. <3