Update: Congratulations to Grace for winning a copy of Rain on Me and the Covered/Shine necklace! Her comment was chosen by the random number generator and her prize will be going all the way to her home in Malaysia!
If you still want the book and necklace you can find them on DaySpring.com: Covered/Shine necklace click here, Rain on Me click here. You can use coupon code LIFE20 until the end of May for an extra 20% off and there’s free shipping over $50 (Father’s Day is coming soon!).
There’s an old story about two pots. One was perfect in every way. The other had cracks and broken places. Each day a woman filled the pots with rainwater she collected and then carried them down the path to her home. The first pot felt proud that she never spilled a single drop. The other felt ashamed because no matter how hard she tried, she lost a lot along the way.
One day the two pots overheard the woman talking with someone who lived nearby. The neighbor exclaimed, “The flowers along your path are so beautiful! What’s your secret?” The woman answered, “One of my pots is broken and the water that spills out helps the flowers grow every day.”
That story reminds me of a song called “By His Wounds” that’s a collaboration featuring Mac Powell from Third Day, Mark Hall from Casting Crowns, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Brian Littrell. Each one sings ISAIAH 53:5…
But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our sins; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.
I first heard this song while driving home from work one day. During that time some pain in my life seemed especially pointless. I also felt concern that nothing good would ever come of it. “Lord,” I silently prayed, “How can you even use me when I’m so broken?”
As I paused and considered that question, the song above came onto the radio. When the music ended, a new perspective on my hurt began. I realized that through Christ’s wounds we are healed and because He lives in us…our wounds can bring healing to others too.
We think that we have to take what’s broken and make it perfect in order to be used by God and bless others. But God thinks in a completely different way. He took what was perfect, His Son, and made Him broken in order to bring us healing.
So if you’re sitting there wondering if God can use you because your life is not as it should be, and your heart is aching—know that your greatest hurt will probably be your greatest ministry. Like the disciple Thomas who doubted until he touched the scars of Jesus, some people in your life need to see your broken places more than your victories.
We’re all like the second pot in the story. Our “April showers” can truly lead to “May flowers” because God sees purpose in our brokenness even when we don’t, and He can use it to bring forth beauty that blesses those around us.
The devotional above was adapted from my book, Rain on Me: Devotions of Hope and Encouragement for Difficult Times.
This week’s giveaway is a signed copy of Rain on Me (click here to Download Rain on Me Excerpt) AND this fabulous two-sided Covered/Shine necklace designed by my talented friend Heather Steck for DaySpring…
The necklace also comes with a mini-card I wrote with this message…
I wish I had a big yellow umbrella
that would keep away
all the rain in your life…
I would hold it over your head,
and the drops would splash, splash
and you would never even feel it.
But I don’t have a big yellow umbrella…
so I’ll walk through the rain with you,
and cover you in prayer
until the sun comes out again.
Love one another.
John 13:34 The Message
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