The Broken Mug

So while clearing the kitchen, Hannah's mug with her artwork on the front, fell on the hard, stone floor. It broke into small and large pieces. Horrified, I started to bawl as I picked up the pieces because it was my baby daughter's creation. As tears fell on my cheeks, I heard a voice in my head: "Repurpose". So I wiped off my tears of horror, grabbed my E2000 glue and started trying to glue the pieces back together. I did the best I could with what I could salvage. Then I went to work. 

There are many moments in my life that I wish I could delete. There were many times, in my all-too-crazy zeal that I've done and said many things that were not just cruel but seemingly unpardonable.  There are many times when I've said things to my children that I wish I had not. I know what it feels like...to lose control or balance and then the "mug falls" and there are broken pieces...even chips too small to glue back that the mug cannot be made whole. And so it was with this mug. As much as I could fix it, I could not put back the pieces that were pulverized, lost and too small to fix. But thank goodness for these sweet little sprays of leaves, berries and flowers. I can cover the broken part with something beautiful.

Now her mug sits proudly on my kitchen shelf next to the window. Every time I look at it, I remember that we can pick up all we can of our broken lives and put them back together into new and beautiful creations. Nothing can be lost if we repurpose, renew, reinvent and rethink..even create new parts. It's like the atonement. We may look at the words of scripture, read about it, teach or talk about it but to EXPERIENCE it, we need to be willing to accept how broken and imperfect we are. Then let the Hands of the Saviour fix, heal and shape us into better creations as we daily experience renewal by the power of His atonement. We are all privy to that grace. And I am filled with hope.