Shattered Pieces

When glass shatters it scatters about into hundreds of pieces. Some are sharp, and some are dull. Once broken can we ever put the pieces back together again? Can it ever be made whole? Here I stand in the midst of despair. Asking God, “Are you there?” Do you hear my cries as I stand in a heap of broken glass akin to the splintered relationships in my life? Shattered dreams tug at my heart.

A allude to the fact that the shards of glass are like the pieces of my life that have caused me intense pain. I could pick them up ever so carefully. Piece by piece. Yet, I sense if I do that the broken pieces will cut me like the pain stabbing my heart.

The shards of glass are strewed about, and I see them, and wonder should I pout? Should I cry? I do not know the reason why it’s broke. I ask myself, “Can I ever put it back together and Can I ever make it whole?”

At times life feels like it is falling apart just like those pieces of glass that shatter and fall onto the floor. I must stop to ponder the notion that all our lives are not supposed to fall apart like broken glass. The lives given to us by God are meant to grow, blossom and flourish. However, sometimes our lives do indeed fall apart. Perhaps this really means that our lives need to be rebuilt. Things fall apart not because God is punishing us, no it just happens.

Yet, I still see those broken pieces and I sweep them away-tucked in the far reaches of my mind for another day. Later, I returned, and I stepped on a piece of glass that has remained. I put my head down for a closer look and I see a few sparkling shards of glass strewn over my overturned book. I thought, “How many more pieces of this glass are left that can cause me more pain?”

As I stood there searching, I became lost in deep thought and was filled with the notion that God had brought to me these broken pieces of glass to remind me that they are like the issues that have torn my life apart. I had to ask myself, “Why is this so hard for me?”

I thought I had dealt with the left-over pain. Yet those slivers of glass remained even after I had swept them away.   I came to realize that those unseen slivers of glass were like the very things that tugged at my heart. I thought to myself, ‘Does God care about those little things, those tiny pieces of glass that hurt us deep down inside?

It is not enough to give God just the bigger problems that touch our hearts. We need to give Him the fragments and casting all our cares upon Him. (1 Peter 5:7)

On the outside we may appear to be whole and well put together. The world may see us and think that we have it all. But when we look deeply inside of ourselves, we see that something is “off” They are those tiny pieces that we haven’t picked up and laid them down at the foot of His cross. Those tiny things that that someone else said or did or perhaps overlooked that caused distress but I dare not look the part on my face to remain. I thought I had dealt with it, but did I really throw it away?

I thought that I had let go and let God, yet there was some that stayed.   He was there to remind me that there were “many” pieces that remained. Those small slivers of glass felt but not seen was symbolic of my hurt that still lurked deep inside like the hurtful words of a loved one or being ignored by a family member that was close to my heart.

I hadn’t dealt with the remnant of that pain even though they may have not sensed how deep it tugged at my heart. I suddenly knew that I needed a new start and finally realized that God is not just the God of big things. He cares deeply about those tiny fragments as well, for He is the glue that binds our wounds. He is the one that will wipe the tears from our eyes. As I look now at that broken glass, I can clearly see that brokenness is a test of faith of the highest order. Through it all He is always at our side and as we experience both the good and bad, we can become refined like tarnished silver because we are a creation of God.