September 30, 2014
When Your World Falls Apart
Mary Southerland
Today’s Truth
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28, NIV).
Friend to Friend
A father was trying to take his Sunday afternoon nap but having little success because his young son kept waking him up with the complaint, "Daddy, I'm bored." The father knew he needed to come up with some kind of plan to keep the little boy occupied, or there would be no nap. He glanced at the newspaper lying on the coffee table and had what he thought was a brilliant plan to keep his son busy and give him more time to sleep.
The father picked up the paper and pointed to a picture of the world on the front page. "This is a picture of the world, but it is also a puzzle," the father explained. He then ripped the picture into about fifty pieces, handed them to his young son and said, "I want you to put it all back together." He lay down to finish his nap, thinking he would get at least another hour of sleep.
In about fifteen minutes, the little boy woke him up saying, "Daddy, I've got it finished. It's all put together." The father could not believe it. His son was too young to know much about geography. "How did you do that?" he asked in amazement. "Dad, there was a picture of a person on the back page of that newspaper, and when I got my person put together, the world looked fine."
Pain can rip our lives apart. We frantically try to find some way to put it all back together, but the broken pieces don't seem to fit anymore. What then?
Trust God. Like the children of Israel, just stick your toes in the water, and watch God part the raging sea before you.
You may be desperately clinging to the broken and mismatched remnants of your life, wondering how you can go on. Whispers of the enemy creep into your heart, soul, and mind, taunting you with the lie that you are just too dirty and too broken for God to love or use. You might as well give up.
No! That is a lie from the pit and smells like smoke!
God is drawn to broken people, choosing the most broken to do His highest work. His light shines best through broken people.
There are no accidents with God, nor is He surprised by anything or anyone in the life of His child. God uses even the most horrendous circumstances for our good. Every circumstance comes to us for a purpose, bound by God’s love and plan, and faithfully delivered with His permission.
Only God can take the broken pieces of your life and make something beautiful out of each one. He is waiting for you to let go … and trust Him. And you really can trust God.
No one loves you like He does.
You may not always understand or even like His process, but you can always trust His heart of love for you.
Let’s Pray
Father, I choose to believe You are faithful and will do what You promise to do in Your Word. I believe that when I lay my pain and hurt at Your feet, You can and will transform it all into something beautiful. I choose to believe You will turn the broken places of my life into living illustrations of Your sufficiency and healing power.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Read the following verse about the good that God can bring out of the difficult times in life. Record the verse in the journal. Then write it in your own words as it applies to your life.
Isaiah 45:3 (NLT) “And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness – secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.”
More from the Girlfriends
If you need help navigating the treacherous waters of the darkness, check out Mary’s book, Hope in the Midst of Depression. And be sure to connect with Mary on Facebook or through email.
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