We’re broken and then grace comes in- period.” They decided to purchase the one with the cracks. “Well, it’s broken!” Jordan said as she started looking for an unbroken one on the shelf. On the right side of the ceramic artwork was the word grace. Collin thought he’d found just the right piece and called Jordan over to see it. Keep trusting in God’s faithful love and provision for you.Ĭollin and his wife, Jordan, wandered through the craft store, looking for a picture to hang in their home. You will not be consumed by what you face. If you’re going through a dark time, don’t lose hope. I saw His provision in the kindness of relatives and friends, the wise counsel of doctors, financial provision, and the reminder in our hearts that-one day-my dad will be whole again in heaven. There are many times I can recount when God has shown His faithful, loving ways to my family. Our trials may feel overwhelming, but we won’t be destroyed by them because God’s love is far greater! God’s great love enables us to go on, to get up to face the day. The words of Lamentations 3:22 helped me get up many mornings when the light was as gray as the state of my heart: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed.” The Hebrew word for “consumed” means “to be used up completely” or “to come to an end.” I was fearful: I knew nothing about caring for a sick person, and I was anxious about finances and my mom’s health. The beginning of his illness was a dark time. He became bedridden in 2011 and continues to be cared for by my mom at home. In 2006, my dad was diagnosed with a neurological disease that robbed him of his memory, speech, and control over body movements.
Christ alone provides life that’s abundant and full-life full of meaning found in Him. And if you’re experiencing serious struggles, seek out godly counsel. If you’re feeling empty, call out to Him today. Only Jesus can fill the empty spaces in our hearts with life. In contrast, Jesus offers what’s true-“eternal life” and the promise that “no one will snatch out of [His} hand” (v. The claims each made to give life would be counterfeit and an imitation. But He also warned them that the “thief” would use people, things, and circumstances to attempt to ravage their lives (vv.
God placed the desire for a full life in every human being, and He longs for people to experience a loving relationship with Him. John wrote that Jesus came to fill the empty and to offer life “to the full” (John 10:10). The teen in some way represents many people who have carved “empty”-perhaps not on their forearms, but on their hearts. She was saddened, but also grateful the teen was open to receiving the serious help she desperately needed. When the young girl pulled back her sleeve, Levine was startled to find that the girl had used a razor to carve “empty” on her forearm. Psychologist Madeline Levine noticed the fifteen-year-old girl’s “cutter disguise”-a long sleeve T-shirt pulled halfway over her hand commonly used by people who engage in self-harm.