God Loves to Use Broken Vessels

                          A  powerful story about finding purpose

                              in brokenness.  I Am Broken…Use Me

Waking up one morning. Lying in bed for a prolonged period of time not wanting to start the day.

The first and tenth thought in my head was ‘I hate myself’, and every thought in between

was the same self-loathing thought.  Repeating my self as though I was talking to a mirror.

But yet, in the back of my mind, like a distant echo, I could faintly hear myself saying

“I trust in the Lord”, he has brought me here to break me.

Stripped down to the foundation. Nothing left of me but my faith that you will rebuild me

stronger than before. Use me God as your vessel to help others as I glorify your name.

Take my brokenness and give me strength. When I look back I will know it is you who have

brought me this far. I will know it is you who has mended my brokenness and made me

whole again. Filled now with your purpose for me. As I mend I can see the purpose you have for me.

Never forget you have a purpose. What God has brought you to he will bring you through stronger

and better than before. Trails and tribulations, pain and sorrow. Through it all, I have seen

God work miracles in my life. Thank you, for the changes in me!

Bible Verses About Brokenness

1  Corinthians 1:27

27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise;

                                           God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

Psalm 147:3

3 He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.

Psalm 30:2

2 Oh Lord, my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me.

                        The Park Bench

                                   A Story About Hope

In 2007 I was at a low point in my life. Angered by the loss of a good job,
betrayed by my best friend. I didn’t know where to turn and no answers
to the problems. It all seemed so hopeless.

One day outside on a park bench I was contemplating the different ways
I could end my life and stop the heartache I was feeling. I could see out
of the corner of my eye an elderly lady slowly walking up the path that
laid in front of the bench I was sitting at. She was slightly hunchback
and looked like a sweet and fragile old lady.

As she approached she looked at me and said, “if you don’t mind,
I think I’ll sit next to you for a moment to rest my weary bones.
“Sure,” I said, but in my mind, I was wishing she would
keep walking. I didn’t want any company; I just wanted to be alone
in my despair. I noticed how much effort it took her just to sit down.
Very slowly, slower than her walk, and how she positioned her hands
to catch herself in case she started to fall.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. During this time I was watching
her facial expressions and feeling an interest in something other than
my despair for the first time in quite a while. The woman had a presence
about her, and under her many wrinkles, she looked happy.

Her lips kept curling into a smile and softly laughing, eyes bright
and expressive, a look of contentment on her face. She was enjoying life.
I thought to myself, how odd for someone to feel so happy while just
sitting on a park bench, what brought such joy to her?

Soon she started laughing and pointing to the children playing on the
nearby playground. “That one there, she said, “the boy in the blue sweater
swinging on the monkey bars reminds me of my oldest son when he was
that age. Jake, that’s his name, would swing as high as he could, told me
one day he would swing so high he would do a loopy loop around the bars.
And let me tell you, he came close a few times. Scared the tar out of me.”
Her laughter was contagious as she reminisced about her child’s youth.

She pointed to the flower bed close to the large Oak tree on the right of us.
“Oh goodness, “she exclaimed, “the daylily buds will soon bloom,
wonder what beautiful color will they be?”. She kept chatting and smiling
and laughing; I found myself smiling at her and feeling peace
inside a place of my heart that had been void for so, so long.

Oh, where did she find her joy? I just wanted to know.
I wanted to go there and find joy in myself.

As we sat in silence for a moment, I was pondering the thoughts of life and death.
I felt the warmth of tears rolling down my checks then fall into my lap.
She looked into my eyes and said with a sincere heart, “Dear what troubles you?”.
Tears ran down my face as I told her everything that was wrong in my miserable life.

I asked her, “how can you be so happy on an ordinary day at an ordinary place?
“She said her Joy is not in this world; it is in Jesus. 

 

She continued to tell me of his unconditional love and the love she has for the Lord.
She told me if I was to turn my life over to the Lord with a sincere heart,
I too would find the joy that eluded me.

Then she asked me if I would pray with her. She held my hands,
and I could feel love, joy, and peace as if her energy was coming through
her hands and into my heart.

Philippians 4:12- 13

¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.

I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation,

whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

 ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

As we prayed I knew she had brought me back from my deepest despair;
she sparked a light in me. I knew I could get through this and overcome my troubles.

After our talk, the elderly lady said she must go now and she would continue to pray
for me. As I watched her walk away a light radiated from her, my guardian angel had
come to save me.

Years later I can still feel deep in my soul the joy radiating from the lovely elderly women
who sat next to me on what I thought was my last day of life.
On an ordinary day, at an ordinary place, I found out how extraordinary life is
when you turn your life over to the Lord.