Years ago, my mother gave me a collectible ceramic figurine that belonged to her. I had admired it as I was growing up. When the base was wound, it played “To Dream the Impossible Dream” in delicate notes as it spun around. The figurine depicted a slender woman dressed in a pale blue gown, thoughtfully touching the nose of a unicorn that leaned against her. The melody brought a bit of nostalgia and encouragement over the decades that the figurine graced my home.

 

One day, after a particularly difficult season in life, I reached for the figurine. I wanted to listen to the tune and spark some inspiration from the sweet trinket. That day, everything felt truly impossible, and it had become difficult to dream of anything more beyond the immediate pressures. However, as I reached for it, I knocked it over. It shattered into many pieces on the floor. A few fragile notes played from its base as I looked at the broken mess. Tears fell as I carefully gathered each sliver of the irreplaceable little treasure that now seemed irreversibly damaged. I couldn’t throw it away, but how on earth could I put it back together?

I broke at the same time that the figurine did. It felt symbolic, as if I were in pieces just like this lovely collectible. Tenderly, I picked up the pieces, placed them on my table, and prayed. I cried bitter tears over things that had left me broken, and I asked God for help.

 

As I looked at the pieces, I decided to reassemble them. I pulled out a bottle of superglue and began the complex restructuring. With each piece that I put together, I felt the Lord reassure me that He would do the same in my life, where things had broken me and taken me by surprise. Piece by piece, I reassembled the once fragmented form. It now sits in a place of honor in my house as a reminder that God restores even the most broken pieces of our lives. He puts us back together carefully, just as I had meticulously worked to restore the broken figurine.

In the moment of that figurine falling, God showed me something. I saw the power of His hand of restoration and the power of His love to steady me when no one is there to comfort me. When life had smashed me in places that I had never expected, I saw the goodness of His hands in my life, gently and carefully putting me back together. I found strength in my weakness because as God held me together, I discovered that the strength of the Spirit kept me together, not my strength. God is like Superglue for the soul. Often, we try to hold it all together so that we can look as if life can’t touch us. However, every crack reminds us of the beauty in being held together and restored after a breaking point.

The song “To Dream the Impossible Dream” seemed so fitting once all the pieces were reglued, and the figurine spun around again. It had been shattered; yet, it was restored. Similarly, God does the impossible. He restores, heals, and gives new life and hope to our broken hearts. When we look back, we can always see how He makes life new. Brokenness can be beautiful when God steps in and holds us. He shines through every piece with His brilliant strength and love.

 

Have there been moments in your life that knocked you over or left you feeling irreparably damaged? Maybe news about a loved one passing away or the loss of a home damaged you. Maybe a child’s rebellion shattered you, or you faced a diagnosis like cancer or infertility. These moments that come into our lives send everything crashing and leave us feeling like all of our dreams are impossible in pieces on the floor.

 

 

 

 

Genre: Non-fiction

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