Phillipians 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
A broken vessel could be a metaphor for my life these 1 1/2 years. Then again, I could just start from today, praise the Lord for His enduring Spirit, mercy and grace, then move on! Since today is a new day, I’ll choose the latter.
Besides, if you look closer, you’ll see the buds on the branches of the lilac bush emerging from the broken vase below. Can you see them? They are the signs of new life that can come with each new day. Noting that I cut these branches to increase the flower production on the plant adds additional meaning: sometimes our lives must be pruned to free us for the blessings to come either in this life or the next.
For those in Christ Jesus, we know that he will work all things together for good (Romans 8:28). We can trust him in the times of new growth, the times of pruning, the times of brokenness and the times of loss all the same. Wow. So glad I learned this when my life totally changed 10 years ago. Well I mean that it took 10 years to understand the transforming power of the gospel, working in the lives of His friends, His children, His people. The Lord’s love and care is working in me too.
My hubby says that I should use a plastic vase instead of a glass one outside. Yeah, he’s right. Glad this episode of brokenness is an easy one to fix! I’ll let go of the vase, fill another with the waters of life and embrace the newness that is growing all around me. (Reference: see the second picture please!)
Hmmmmmm, I think there’s something growing inside me too. Little by little, the illness I have is transforming as well. Praise the Lord! :J
Jesus is for the Wounded 