Posts
In the last 24 hours two beloved possessions made of glass have shattered. The first was last night after my dinner party. This beautiful water pitcher that we've had since were married fell off the drying rack and broke. As soon as I set it on the drying rack, I had a hunch that it was going to fall off and I was right. I was bummed out as I loved that pitcher but it was now in a million tiny pieces so I just had to clean up the mess and accept the loss. It did remind me of another pitcher I lost years ago, when it fell off a shelf and hit Doug in the head! It was a gorgeous blue pitcher that a group of women had given me for my 40th birthday.
Then today, Tanner, in his usual, crazy, excited state, dashed into the living room to greet the guests who are staying with us and in so doing dragged the dining room rug with him, jarring the living room table, causing the gorgeous, tall red glass candlesticks to come crashing down on the table top. Both candleholders were smashed to smitherins.
I heard the crash and walked into the dining room with fear and trepidation. Much to my horror, the candle holders, both of them, were smashed to bits. These too were a gift with treasured memories attached.
But I had to accept the loss as simply a loss of stuff. Pretty stuff that I loved, but stuff none the less. Definitely replaceable, if not an exact copy, certainly something acceptable. It's hard to let go of stuff, but accidents happen and stuff breaks. These are losses that are not life-altering. But it did get me thinking about brokenness and about how painful it is sometimes. Losing beloved possessions because of breakage is tough, but brokenness in life is much more painful, as the things that cause brokenness are often not so easily replaced. And yet there is healing from life's brokenness. If there wasn't, how could we go on? I preached on Sunday about letting go of a painful past especially when it is causing a painful future. I reaffirmed the reality that at Christmas, we are reminded that Christ came into this world with a message of love and redemption. Embedded in those two things is healing. Whatever has caused our brokenness in life, Jesus can touch it and bring healing. The past cannot be undone. But the ways in which the past affects us can be changed.
I can buy a new pitcher. I can look for new candlesticks. I am confident that at some point I will find suitable replacements! But our lives are not so easily mended. And yet, knowing that God sent his son into our world as a tiny little baby offers us a world of hope...a world where past hurts can be healed and we can rediscover a future that is not filled with the brokenness of our past. May this grace be yours today.
Then today, Tanner, in his usual, crazy, excited state, dashed into the living room to greet the guests who are staying with us and in so doing dragged the dining room rug with him, jarring the living room table, causing the gorgeous, tall red glass candlesticks to come crashing down on the table top. Both candleholders were smashed to smitherins.
 |
| See those lovely, tall red candlesticks? They won't be gracing our Christmas table this year since they are now in the trash after smashing into a million tiny pieces. sniff. |
But I had to accept the loss as simply a loss of stuff. Pretty stuff that I loved, but stuff none the less. Definitely replaceable, if not an exact copy, certainly something acceptable. It's hard to let go of stuff, but accidents happen and stuff breaks. These are losses that are not life-altering. But it did get me thinking about brokenness and about how painful it is sometimes. Losing beloved possessions because of breakage is tough, but brokenness in life is much more painful, as the things that cause brokenness are often not so easily replaced. And yet there is healing from life's brokenness. If there wasn't, how could we go on? I preached on Sunday about letting go of a painful past especially when it is causing a painful future. I reaffirmed the reality that at Christmas, we are reminded that Christ came into this world with a message of love and redemption. Embedded in those two things is healing. Whatever has caused our brokenness in life, Jesus can touch it and bring healing. The past cannot be undone. But the ways in which the past affects us can be changed.
I can buy a new pitcher. I can look for new candlesticks. I am confident that at some point I will find suitable replacements! But our lives are not so easily mended. And yet, knowing that God sent his son into our world as a tiny little baby offers us a world of hope...a world where past hurts can be healed and we can rediscover a future that is not filled with the brokenness of our past. May this grace be yours today.
Jodi
ReplyDeleteI had a beautiful, handmade glass pitcher that my mum had bought me when I lived in Stockholm. I was washing up one day just before I moved to Chicago and remember thinking "I bet this will break one day. That will be sad" and promptly knocked it against the tap & broke the lip of the pitcher cleanly off... Enjoying your advent reflections.