Broken Crayons Still Color.
As a child, one of my favorite things to do was to color pictures. Ironically, I was very big on details and a stickler for perfection. I hated when my crayons broke and I would respond with sadness and devastation. Because we weren’t rich, it was not as simple as going out and buying a new box of crayons. And with that in mind, I would cry.
As always, I would share my sadness with my mom and she would console me and remind me that broken crayons still made colors just as beautiful as the new ones. However, as a child that didn’t resonate with me because all I could see and understand was that the crayons were no longer shiny and new.
As a young woman, though, I learned all so well that regardless of one’s brokenness, we are still usable and valued by our Father God.
We Were Designed to Create Beautiful Colors
Several months ago, I remember being overcome with stress and for no apparent reason. It was like I was standing in front of a looking glass and watching myself shatter into thousands of tiny pieces. Why? For one moment in time, I began to remember all of the hardships I had endured over the course of my forty-two years and wondered why the thoughts were pouring down like rain.
I was in a state of brokenness. My heart was broken, my soul was numb, my faith was dampened, and my mind was scattered like fall leaves. I had stopped reading my Bible and did not feel like communicating with or pouring spiritual wine into others’ cups – because mine was empty.
I was broken, like a crayon, no longer shiny and new.
Lamentations 3:22-23 tells us, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed. For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great in your faithfulness.”
God speaks to us and reminds us that as long as we have faith in His word, we can be refreshed and made whole again and again.
While I didn’t understand the concept of this scripture when I was going through my valley, I understand it now because one day, God reminded me of His excellence through a stranger. She told me that no matter what I was going through – have faith that God had me. I wondered how a perfect stranger standing in the grocery store could speak such words of encouragement to me when we had not made an exchange in communication verbally. I immediately wondered if it was an expression on my face or body language; how could she know that I needed to hear words of encouragement like that in that very instance?
I was reprimanded for turning my back on God, but it was done strategically and gently. God used one of his many vessels to pour into and uplift me and he allowed me to color a new path inside the lines He had drawn for my life. My hardships were testimonies and my heart was like a broken crayon; it was broken, but not useless. My pain was my power and my faith was the strategy necessary to move beyond the pain.
Broken Crayons Matter, Too.
The Bible shares parables about people like Ezekiel, Naomi, and Rahab to share messages of brokenness. Regardless of the broken position we are in, God always has His loving hands on us. All that we encounter is for good reason.
The Bible tells us that Ezekiel was not allowed to mourn the loss of his wife because God was using him as a lesson to the people of Israel; he was a sacrifice used to show people what they would encounter at the hands of their enemies (Ezekiel 24:15-27). While Ezekiel was heartbroken like a broken crayon, if you will, God still used him to carry out His message and commands.
When we think about Naomi and her story of brokenness, she lost her husband and sons but didn’t stop to grieve over her losses. She focused on helping her daughter-in-law, Ruth, find a husband. In Naomi’s brokenness, she didn’t stop and focus on what she lost but instead worked towards making a difference in the life of someone other than herself (Ruth 1-4).
When we are feeling hurt and broken, we must understand that pain happens for a reason and just as it enters our lives unexpectedly, it is not permanent. As we know, Jesus Christ was God’s ultimate sacrifice. He was betrayed and plotted against by people that He considered to be His friends. If we had to walk a mile in Jesus’ shoes, we would not have been able to weather the storm. We would likely find ourselves broken like old crayons.
Let’s take a moment to think about broken crayons and how they are interconnected to our lives as Christians. Do you find it difficult or easy to relate? Do you realize that nothing is by mistake, and in order to get to the other side of pain, one must focus on the plan that God has for our lives?
We are like broken crayons, we might be broken but we are still valuable. We might not look the same, but we are still capable of functioning and carrying out our mission in life as God planned for us.
Live Out Loud In Living Color
Contrary to your pain and brokenness, God still loves you. You are worthy of His love regardless of what you have been through. Luke 4:18 tells us, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed.” When we are feeling broken, our colors still shine bright and we must apply those colors to our daily lives. And, while hurt and brokenness are saddening, we are reminded by Psalms 147:3 that “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” and God can and will make us new.
In our brokenness, we must remember that we should not give up on our abilities and our rightful place in this world. God doesn’t treat us like broken crayons. He does not throw us away because we are vessels full of color and zest regardless of what we have been through. We must live our lives in color no matter where we have been and what we have been through – it always comes back to you and your relationship with God and your faith in His power over your life.
So, What’s the play call?
Be strong, take heart, and embrace your brokenness without fear (Deuteronomy 31:6).
Let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. . (James 4:7-17)
Take note that brokenness is a season in our lives that does not equate to death. God does not throw us away because of the cracks in and under our surface.
Know that like broken crayons, you have the gift to create beautiful and vivid art with your past hurts.
Pray, pray, and pray more!
Reset and Repeat.
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