February 14th, 2022
This devotion, written by Liz Liles Wagoner, comes to us via SGN: Some Good News.
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I walked in from the store with my arms full and a brand new candle in my bag. As I struggled to get it all on the counter, one bag dropped and I heard the glass break. My brand new candle was ruined as the glass shattered. Frustrated, I was ready to throw the whole thing away. My husband refused to let me do so. “It will still light; it will still serve its purpose,” he stated. Immediately, I began to argue back ... “But it’s broken and ugly and glass is everywhere. It’s just not the same.”
I walked away and when I came back, he had placed the candle on the counter and lit the wick.
My heart immediately was drawn to the light. How often do we do this in our own lives or with others? Things don’t turn out the way we want them to. Plans fail. Dreams shatter. Goals hit the floor. People break our hearts. And we are ready to throw the whole dang thing in the trash. Even though it can still light ... still shine ... still bring the fragrance of goodness. It just may not be pretty or in the package that we wanted or imagined.
May we all be reminded that even in the brokenness and cutting edge of life, there is still goodness and purpose and light. We simply must be willing to not throw it all away and allow the redemption to take place. There are times that our story will simply speak a little louder and impact even more people when we are willing to allow the broken places of our life and story to shine for others to see and understand.
- Liz Liles Wagoner
_________________________
I walked in from the store with my arms full and a brand new candle in my bag. As I struggled to get it all on the counter, one bag dropped and I heard the glass break. My brand new candle was ruined as the glass shattered. Frustrated, I was ready to throw the whole thing away. My husband refused to let me do so. “It will still light; it will still serve its purpose,” he stated. Immediately, I began to argue back ... “But it’s broken and ugly and glass is everywhere. It’s just not the same.”
I walked away and when I came back, he had placed the candle on the counter and lit the wick.
My heart immediately was drawn to the light. How often do we do this in our own lives or with others? Things don’t turn out the way we want them to. Plans fail. Dreams shatter. Goals hit the floor. People break our hearts. And we are ready to throw the whole dang thing in the trash. Even though it can still light ... still shine ... still bring the fragrance of goodness. It just may not be pretty or in the package that we wanted or imagined.
May we all be reminded that even in the brokenness and cutting edge of life, there is still goodness and purpose and light. We simply must be willing to not throw it all away and allow the redemption to take place. There are times that our story will simply speak a little louder and impact even more people when we are willing to allow the broken places of our life and story to shine for others to see and understand.
- Liz Liles Wagoner
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