Daily Bread for 9-14-10 ~ Pieces…

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 – We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.

When I had my daughter, a dear friend of mine gave her a darling, porcelain piggy bank. It decoratively adorned a shelf in her bedroom, sitting in quiet, but empty anticipation, until Caitlyn turned three. Then, Mike and I started giving her spare change anytime she did a small chore.

She loves the merry sound of quarters, dimes and nickels clinking on the bottom of the bank as she drops them in. That little piggy bank was quickly elevated to a prized and cherished possession, and to my delight, Caitlyn started to seek out chores.

It’s been a great exercise in the discipline of saving. She’s made two purchases to date; a movie and play make-up (takes after her mama on that one).

The bank emptying ritual is done on the kitchen table, and afterward, the piggy bank is to be immediately returned to its spot on the shelf. Except one time, it wasn’t.

Rather than returning it safely to her room, Caitlyn left it on the stairs. And accidently kicked it all the way to the bottom…where it shattered on the hardwood floors. Her shriek broke my heart.

She sobbed uncontrollably in my arms for about 30 minutes. Sweet little Nick kept trying to tell her it was ok, but she knew otherwise. “It’s in too many pieces, Mommy! Daddy can’t fix it!” I didn’t vocalize it, but I inwardly agreed.

When Daddy got home, the waterworks started up all over again. And you know what Mike did? The sweetest, most tender thing he could’ve done. He held her, told her he loved her, and wiped away her tears. Then he looked through the broken pieces, and gave her cautious hope.

A few days later, he painstakingly, and ever so carefully, put that shattered piggy bank back together. Good as new, save the cracks.

I think the experience has resonated with me so deeply because I identify with that poor, little piggy bank. I too, have sat amidst the broken pieces of my life, wondering how it could ever come together. I too, have been too blinded by sorrow and pain to see that there was anything left to salvage. And just like my sweet husband Mike did with my daughter and her piggy bank, Jesus wiped away my tears, gave me hope, and carefully put me back together. Good as new – save the scars.

I treasure that little, porcelain pig now almost as much as Caitlyn, if not more. Not in spite of the cracks…because of them.

When you put something broken back together, you have to figure out exactly where each piece goes. Once you put the glue on and stick them together, the work is not done. My husband would hold the pieces together in his hands…until the adhesive dried. Isn’t that a beautiful picture? How much more, then, does our Heavenly Father do the same thing? He gently picks up the mess we’ve made of our lives, applies the Holy Spirit, and holds us in His hands until the healing is complete. Then He gently sets us back down to complete the job He’s given us to do.

I find such strength in my scars. And although I’m sure my daughter wishes she’d never broken that piggy bank, I see it as a beautiful illustration of God’s love at work in our lives.

Dear Heavenly Father, we love You so much. Thank You so much for loving us the way You do. You don’t toss us aside when we break. You make us better than we were before. Let us always remember that Your strength is shown best in our weakness. Please God, don’t ever let our cracks and scars fade. Please help us to always remember what a miracle we are in Jesus. We ask these things in the precious, beautiful name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.