dust and beautiful things
God is the God of redemption.
There are parts of my story that are hard to talk about. I think everyone has those places… the deep down dusty places. God has brought total healing there but its still not casual table talk material for me.
Yesterday we were brought to a friends house to visit with John and Ausha, a married Tanzanian couple that we do ministry with here, and their cousin Esther, a 15 year old girl who was just given a second chance (a miracle story in and of itself) to go to school. We came to talk mostly to Esther to encourage her before she left for boarding school. She has seen far too much for being 15 and has experienced a lot of brokenness in her life and seemed to be clinging onto the hurt and claiming bitterness as who she was.
My heart broke for her and I wanted her to be free. We had just a short amount of time but God just began to speak and to go deep into her heart. It was so neat to get to share with her and just cover her in Gods truth and just when I thought we were going to be done she asked me a question which invited a response of those hard to talk about places in my life. She wanted me to talk about my dust. So I shared with her, I let her into that place and it was beautiful. The whole conversation before that I fought for eye contact but now her attention was on me- her eyes staring so intently that it was almost unnerving. Out of my story I got to share with Esther hope and healing and so many more truths that God wanted to speak to her. It was so special, the whole thing was SO special. She was so special.
Later that night I was thinking about the different areas of brokenness we walk in. It ‘seems’ so broken but it is never broken beyond restoration. Restoration is what God does. He takes our brokenness and he makes it beautiful. Watching God use my brokenness that afternoon for his glory and restoration of his daughter was the most humbling thing and it took the healing I have already received to an even deeper place than before. He is always going deeper, never relenting in his love and desire for us to walk in wholeness.
I was reminded that my brokenness isn’t my ugly but instead it is some of my most beautiful places. It is there he has been at work and I should never try to hide that away. It should be spoken out so that Gods beauty can be seen out my dust.
Pray for Esther that God would continue what he has begun. That he would began to take the brokenness and show her his beautiful redemption. Pray for her as she begins school tomorrow!
Tears. Joy. Love. God. Smiles on my face and in my heart. Perfect in Him. All because of Him.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful brokenness.
Love , jennieo
This blessed me so much! I will be praying for esther
Thank you for the encouragement to continue sharing with a new young friend who had a nervous breakdown several years ago. God is so faithful to restore what has been taken from us.
Love, VictoriaB
Hey Cherise, truly you are discovering more and more just how beautiful God intends for all of us to live – there in Eden where we are naked and unashamed because He walks with us… He covers us and gives us a garment of praise, robes of righteousness and a wooly sweater from the sacrifice of his perfect lamb… and to share dusty beauty with others makes it all so much more worthwhile. You are a mighty woman.