Picture a basket in the middle of a country road.
It’s abandoned. Unwanted. Rejected.
A car comes along and crushes it, leaving it a broken messy bundle of sticks. Useless, worthless.
Most would have thrown this basket away, but Jesus comes along, picks it up and mends it.
Jesus patiently, artfully mends it, restoring it to its original design, bringing it back to wholeness again, and He puts something in it – treasure! Not just any treasure, but life-giving treasure!
. . . And then He carries this once broken & tattered basket around, and from it gives out this life-giving treasure to the dying and hurting multitudes.
I realised this was a picture of me. How often I have felt like I was abandoned, unwanted and rejected, Useless, even worthless!
And yet in that very broken & messed up state with every imaginable negative feeling & perception toward myself, Jesus comes along!
He pays attention to me, even if I’ve been ignored.
He seeks for me, even if I’ve been abandoned.
He wants me, even if I’ve been unwanted!
He accepts me, even if I’ve been rejected!
He takes my broken, messed up life & gently, patiently, artfully, restores me to my original design, bringing me back to wholeness again, then He puts treasure in me! Not just any treasure, but life-giving treasure!
And then He carries me, broken & tattered as I once was, and gives out this life-giving treasure to the dying and hurting multitudes!!!
I’m still a work in progress. Only Jesus would bother to spend the time to mend and make something good & beautiful of my life!
Thank you Jesus!! :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
. .. and you know what, beautiful sister, beloved brother?
this is a picture of you too! Father knows, and you know only too well the wounds you’ve suffered, every trauma, every heartache, the neglect of simply existing in a cruel, loveless world.
It just occurred to me that the prodigal son who came home in all his filthy messed up brokenness, and wanted just to be a slave in The Fathers’ house, received way beyond his wildest expectations & was instantly & unconditionally restored to the full rights, authority, privileges & position of a son! [fully & completely loved!]
. . . but the older son who’d “done things right” & had been in The Fathers’ house the whole time, but “living” as a slave rather than a son, missed out in the end.
His choice.
His loss :(
Jesus wants to meet you in all your messed up brokenness.
He longs to heal you, make you whole & restore you to The Fathers’ original design.
But . . . will you let Him? Or will you hide from Him? The face of perfect love?
For too long, I foolishly pushed Him away, as if “life” was better in the twisted way it had become.
. . . but I’m coming home, coming to my senses!!
It’s your choice.
Will you enter into His fullness & live who you are as a beloved daughter, a beloved son? Or would you rather be a slave?!
[adapted from dream by Mr. Wong p15 of Taiwan ghost month prayer guide.pdf]
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