As I sit here and listen to Shirley Caesar’s song, How I Love Jesus, and the part that she sings, “He took my broken pieces and gave me a brand new start,” gave me chills. She didn’t say God put them back together again or fixed the broken pieces, but He took the broken pieces just as they were and gave me…”you” a brand new start. This means everything was still broken. But, He used what was broken to do what He needed to be done. Often time, we try to fix our broken pieces thinking that will make things better, but like Jacob, you might have to walk with a limp to remind you where you came from. To remind you what you wrestled with. To remind you, that you will not be the same when you get up. To remind you, you cannot run from your problems or God. (Genesis 32:22-31).
A few years ago, when I started my forgiveness journey, I reached out to a sibling from another relationship my father had that I had rejected because of my immaturity and anger against my father. Not making excuses, just giving facts. I never got a response, so I never knew if she received my message. Recently, I was given an opportunity to reach out one more time, but she made it very clear that she did not want to mend or have a relationship. She had every right to feel and voice every emotion that she had. What I realized is that’s not a broken piece I can fix or put back together again, only God came. After I got off the phone, I had so much peace because I knew without a shadow of a doubt I did everything I knew how to do, but most of all I did what God told me to do. I actually felt sad because I understood how she felt. Rejection. Hate. Bitterness. Anger. Unforgiveness. I knew her pain, oh so well. Therefore I knew I had to pray for her even if we never have a relationship of any kind. I pray she will have an encounter with God and He takes her broken pieces and give her a brand new start…that is healing and deliverance. Just remember, broken pieces still have purpose.