Broken To Beautiful

Broken to Beautiful

The one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!”

Revelation 21:5

My daughter Jasmine’s birth mother passed away one winter, and we decided together that we’d like to do something to remember her by. I knew of a woman who made necklaces out of broken pieces of glass, demonstrating the idea that God takes things that are broken and makes them beautiful again. I asked Jasmine if we should have a necklace made in memory of her birth mother. Jasmine agreed and decided that she’d like to have a cross necklace. She picked out the colors, and then we decided to order them not only for us but also for Jasmine’s two birth aunts as a way for them to remember their sister.

After the necklaces were made, we brought them with us to a family reception that we were invited to. While playing at the pool, Jasmine stopped to pull out the crosses, and she shyly explained to her aunts the meaning behind them. I had tears in my eyes as I proudly watched my daughter tell her aunts that she picked the Scripture in which God says he is making all things new as the inspiration for the necklaces. The aunts whispered thanks and words of love as they each put on their gifts. Later, we took pictures of them all together, affirming the unity between Jasmine and her birth family.

God really does make all things new. It may not be the way that we would want or expect, but he can take things that are broken and make something beautiful out of the pieces. This is a promise we can cling to, even when we are unsure of the outcome. This truth of God’s heart for redemption reminds us that kindness is not just something we do or say at the surface level. Instead, it can be a show of solidarity and strength as we sit with those who are hurting or in pain, a way for us to show them the hope we find in God.

—Kendra

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Offer hope to someone who desperately needs it, through your words, your actions, or a gift.