So shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
my word shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:11
We’re all broken. Every single one of us. But yet, we all have a destiny of glory. God does not make anything bad, and even when we mess up, even when we make mistakes, even when stuff just happens to us. Even when we don’t listen and our seed is burnt up by the midday sun or choked out by the weeds, he is there to re-scatter the seed and make something good out of us again. To make a fresh start. To make something out of nothing.
From time to time, we have to become nothing again, if we are to take that step closer, that step higher, to something.
But to do this we have to be broken.
And sometimes you have to be broken to become something beautiful.
This is what I thought of when I read the readings today, especially when I read the verse from Isaiah 55:11. God has plans for us, plans for good. He has a destiny, a destination. I think the path we take to that destination can deviate, based upon our choices and circumstances, and God just adapts, and puts us in different, new situations where we can do His will, where we have another chance to finally become his rich soil.
And we may for a while, but then we make choices, or encounter situations where we may not be that fertile. And so God adapts again, routing us to a different path, but with the same destination.
His Word, His creation does not return to Him until we achieve for Him the reason why He sent us.
I think this is so beautiful.
I’m up on Lake Michigan right now as I write this, my last day of vacation. Lake Michigan, for those of you around the world who are not aware, is one of the Great Lakes here in the United States, and these lakes are immense. Really, they are freshwater, inland seas.
Where we stay, on the west coast of Michigan’s lower peninsula, is one of the world’s longest expanse of continuous sand dunes, and the beaches are amazing. We don’t have sea shells on the Great Lakes like what there are on the oceans, but one thing that is really cool is beach glass.
Beach glass, also known as sea glass, is basically made from trash. Specifically, thrown away glass bottles and other glass objects that make their way into the water. The waves and currents tumble the glass against the beaches, rocks, break walls, and so on and the glass breaks.
But as the shards of glass are continuously thrust against things like rocks, their sharp edges are rounded and the glossy finish becomes more frosted in appearance. The glass becomes very beautiful, almost like a gemstone. This process takes 30-40 years or more. Lake Michigan is a hotspot for beach glass, and while the best places are around the larger cities, we found some small pieces around where we were.
But when I think about beach glass, the whole story behind it just fascinates me, and the parallels are amazing. A glass bottle is created, for example, for a specific purpose, and it is perfect. But then it is thrown away, and is shattered – broken. But through that brokenness something more beautiful, and repurposed comes out of it – something that can be used for things like decoration or jewelry.
More beautiful than its original purpose. Perhaps its intended purpose.
I really see us as beach glass in the eyes of God. Maybe He intends for us to be a beautiful piece of beach glass, shaped by time, irregularly perfect. But we must first be broken. Sometimes our lives are shattered, and we are pounded against the rocks. Sometimes we have to break apart again, or be tumbled longer to achieve our desired shape and beauty.
But Gods plan will not go unfinished. His word shall not return to Him void. His purpose for us will be achieved for the reason He created us.
Sometimes we are poor soil, but God continues to reach us in different ways, in different paths and tills us until we’re fertile.
Sometimes our lives become shattered, and we feel like we’re thrown away into the waves, only to be forgotten. Our edges, jagged and sharp. We’re being tumbled about in life, banging against the rocks, not sure if it’s ever going to get better. But then at some point, it all becomes apparent. At some point, we look into the mirror and we’re a beautiful, colorful, frosted stone. The sharp and jagged edges gone.
God never ceases to fulfill His plan, even when we try to do otherwise. He always achieves the end for us for which He sent us.
Sometimes we have to be broken though, to become something beautiful.
