Shattered Pieces

Rebecca Carpenter

August 11, 2021

 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV)

 

Crash! From my office, I hurried to the kitchen to see what caused the sound of breaking glass. Nothing was out of place. 

 

       Then I walked into the living room. A large African basket had fallen from its spot at the top of the entertainment center. It certainly couldn’t make the loud racket. 

 

       As I moved closer to the basket, my foot discovered small, sharp slivers. I noticed white fragments strewn across the wood floor and rug.

 

       The basket hit a decoration that stood on a lower shelf before it plummeted to the floor. A corner of it broke off into pieces too small to repair. While I gathered the ceramic like shards, I realized what had caused the mishap. 

 

       The lady who cleaned my home earlier that day had evidently moved it when she dusted. The circular basket stood upright at the back of the top shelf but must have slowly slipped and then dropped which hit the decoration. 

 

       The broken piece wasn’t as expensive as other favorite items on my shelves. However, it was meaningful to me because of the Scripture on it. 

 

       For a second, I thought of throwing it away as rubbish. Then I realized God gave me a story.

 

       The verse from Philippians 4 gave me comfort when I was stressed. “Be anxious for nothing… 

 

       We can easily slide into situations, relationships, or habits that cause us to fall. Lives can be broken but not beyond repair. Prayer changes things.

 

       Jesus can take pieces of our shattered lives and make something beautiful. 

 

Father, thank you for taking shattered lives and turning them into something magnificent. Amen