Shattering that sheds the light forth..

I've been reading this great little book by Lilias Trotter, "Parables of the Christ-life." Lilias was a female missionary to Algeria in the late 1800s/early 1900s. I'm so inspired by the things she writes; thank you Kim for sending me this book! :)

This morning I read something that gave me a lot to think about. It was regarding being broken, or being in a place of brokenness.

"...He (God) may have to stop using us for a time, that He may deepen this work within and bring us to utter brokenness."

God Himself brings us to a place of brokenness. Even though you may be the one struggling with addiction, He's holding your hand, walking you through the darkness.

"Conscious weakness...is one thing: brokenness is another. We may know that we are but earthen pitchers, like Gideon's, with nothing of our own but the light within, and yet we may not have passed through the shattering that sheds the light forth."

Being at rock bottom, being broken, doesn't mean you have failed. It doesn't mean anyone else has failed you either.

I remembered a discussion I had with friends about accountability. That perhaps, if we were held more accountable by our friends, we would never get to that lowest point. They could prevent some of that pain, agony and defeat. At the time, something didn't set right with me and that statement. I do agree that we should sharpen one another, offer guidance and advice as God prompts us. But it's such a precarious thing, to hold someone else "accountable," because we have to take care of our own junk before we poke at someone else's.

Here's another thing, which Oswald Chambers pointed out: "No one dare interfere with the discipline of suffering in another saint." To us, someone suffering, reaching the end of their rope, may look like complete disaster. Yet we must remember that God is in control.

Sometimes the breaking is just part of the process to let the light shine through the cracks! What a beautiful thought.  Don't feel like it's all over because you're at a low point. Realize that you're right on track to get back up. I can know in my mind that I am just a created human being, but until I come to the place where all I have is Jesus, I still am self-sufficient when it comes down to it.

"When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned..." (Isaiah 43:2)

You will get through the brokenness with the God of all creation by your side. Leaning into Him, you will not be consumed by the struggle. The flames will not harm you. And after you are shattered, you will be able to shed a brilliant light that you could never manufacture on your own.