Beaming Light Through The Broken

We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:7-9

“HE MOVED OUT,” she said, still in shock.

The coffee shop my dear friend and I sat in instantly turned into a sacred place of vulnerability and brokenness. Her husband had cheated on her, and everything around her was crumbling. Her marriage was broken, her faith was shattered, her life felt as though it was in ruins.

Through tears she told me, “There are nights I cry myself to sleep or scream into my pillow or just lie there, awake, and think, This is not my life, is it? I feel like I am a ghost, floating through my own life, not really here.”

The damage caused by infidelity can seem irreparable. A marriage is built upon faith and trust, and when that’s broken, the pieces on the floor may look impossible to fix.

And yet, there are broken places in our own lives that cause us to think the same thing. This is too broken for God to use. He only uses what’s shiny and put-together, right?

Wrong. God has always been in the business of beaming light through the broken. We are jars of clay—cracked, loved, and used by God. Even the most prominent names in the Bible were busted and broken believers:

Noah got drunk.

Sarah laughed at God.

Jacob stole from his own brother.

Miriam gossiped.

Naomi grew bitter.

David had an affair.

Jonah ran from God.

Martha complained.

Peter denied Christ.

Thomas doubted.

Paul was an accomplice to murder.

And God used each of them. He redeemed their stories. Their sin did not define them.

A few years after that conversation with my friend, I sat with her again in the same coffee shop. She shared more of her story, more of her scars, more of her faith. She shared grace.

“This has been the darkest time of my life. But it is also unbelievable to me what God has done in my husband. We have gone to the very bottom of hell and back. He’s back in our house, and he’s changed. I can’t believe I’m saying this.”

The only way a broken marriage can be restored is through the grace of God. Through cracked jars of clay which His light pierces through.

Friend, I don’t know what weight you carry, hide, or drag around, but I do know our God. The One who takes a murderer of Christians and turns him into the leader of the Jesus-followers. The One who takes our worst and brings out our best. The One who refines our past and makes a way for our future. There is not one thing that is just too much for God to turn around. To use for His Kingdom. To redeem and restore. Grace pulls the best out of the worst. Every time.

GRACE REFLECTION: What in your life feels too broken for God to redeem and restore? Lay it at the feet of Jesus and picture His blood covering it. Ask God to show you His light beaming through your brokenness.