Broken Glass

I was emptying my dishwasher this morning and I broke one of my drinking glasses. It was part of a set of six glasses that I have had for a number of years. It hit the kitchen floor and shattered. I then spent the better part of the next half hour dealing with this one broken glass. While it seems like a rather minor event. It's something that everyone has experienced at one time or another. For me, this broken glass seems to be more than just a broken glass to me. I've been thinking about this experience all day and I thought I would share with you some of what has been going through my mind and heart.

Memories: There were a lot of memories related to this glass. I remember I bought the set of glasses at Meijer back in the 1990's. My friends Terry and Susan had a set of these glasses at the time and I remember going over to their home one time and commenting on how much I liked them. Shortly after that, I went out and bought a set of these glasses for myself.
Terry and Susan were such a blessing to me at that time in my life and ministry. They taught me much about faithfulness and helped me to experience grace in deep and abiding ways. There were so many times when I was a guest in their home when we sat talking late into the night about all manner of things. They prayed with me, loved me, fed me, listened to me and helped me through some very challenging times in my ministry. I think I learned more about what it means to have a true hunger for God and the things of God from Terry and Susan than any other people I've ever met.

Thirst: This glass has been a familiar companion with me for over a decade. I always seem to have a glass of something - water or diet soda - in one of these glasses when I am at home. I have always liked cold drinks much more than hot drinks. I like lots of ice. There is nothing better on a hot day like those we are experiencing now in the Cincinnati area than to have an ice-cold drink nearby.
I also got to thinking about my spiritual thirst. I have always been a kind of seeker. I am eager to know more about God. I study the Scriptures to learn about Who God is and how God has spoken and is speaking to the world. It is God Who can quench my thirst for knowledge in a dry and weary land. I have tried to fill my cup with other things in life but I know that it is only God who can fill my cup to overflowing with grace and steadfast love.


Fragility: That glass shattered into what seemed like a thousand pieces on my floor. As I picked up the pieces, large and tiny, I was reminded of how fragile life is. We are here today and gone tomorrow. The prophet Isaiah says that people are like grass. We shoot from the ground in hope full of new life and then we dry and whither away. We are here for such a short time. We are temporary. Only God is eternal.
In this fragile state in which we live, God still blesses us with friends, family, love, art, music, food, beauty and grace. Although we occupy this earth for such a short time, God makes our stay full and rich and wonderful. God whispers our name and reminds us again and again that while our bodies - these shells that we inhabit - are fragile, there is a part, a holy part that is eternal. While still fragile and susceptible to corruption, God prepares a place for that fragile, holy part of us to dwell with God forever.
 
Brokenness: That glass looked nearly perfect when I first bought it. It was shiny and new and smooth. It was made of really thick glass which is one of the reasons that I liked it. I thought there would be less chance of it breaking. It was kind of heavy and I liked how it felt in my hand. It seemed substantial. I thought I would have it for many years to come. However, that glass is broken and is now out in the dumpster. It is no longer useful for it's original function. Even if I wanted to gather all of the pieces and try to glue it back together, it would never really be the same. There's no way to bring it back to it's original look or feel. It's broken.
As I knelt down on the floor picking up all those pieces of glass, I was reminded of my own brokenness in life. I am arrogant, selfish, self-centered, gluttonous, slothful, passive aggressive, unforgiving, and stubborn. These are just the things I can think of right now and am willing to admit. There is a lot of other stuff that contributes to and is a part of my broken state as a human being. My sin is ever present and it is only by God's grace that I can move forward in this journey. I am broken but God's love somehow keeps me together.
 
Deep Cleaning: This broken glass was a cause for me to do some deep cleaning in my kitchen. I pulled up all the rugs, shook them out, and ran them through the washing machine. I picked up the big pieces of glass with my hands and then swept up the rest of the tiny pieces. I got down on my hands and knees and washed the floor. (My Mom would be proud of me for that.) My kitchen is as clean as it's been since I moved in.
I realize there are times in my spiritual life when I have needed to do some heavy duty deep cleaning. During the season of Lent, I often try to intensely focus on my relationship with God and examine my own heart and life. I also know that in times when I have messed up and sinned in life, these are usually times to stop and remind myself of who I am and Whose I am. During these times especially, I often find myself asking for God's mercy and forgiveness and grace to fill my life and heart. It all usually begins by me admitting that I am broken and then crying out to the God Who loves me to wash the stain of sin from my life.
 
Prayer: When I was down on my knees cleaning, I was reminded again of the importance of the spiritual discipline of prayer. When I was cleaning up that broken glass, I took the time to pray. I said a prayer of thanksgiving for the memories that came to mind about this glass and my friends Terry and Susan. I thanked God for the gift of my new home in a new place that is such a blessing to me. I thanked God for my new job at TriState Habitat for Humanity. It is a miracle that I am here and I feel that I am doing what God has called me to do and am being blessed on a daily basis through my work.
As I picked up the glass and cleaned the kitchen floor, I thought of the amazing seventeenth century Christian Brother Lawrence. For Brother Lawrence, "common business," no matter how mundane or routine, could be a medium of God's love. The sacredness or worldly status of a task mattered less than motivation behind it. Brother Lawrence wrote: "Nor is it needful that we should have great things to do. . . We can do little things for God; I turn the cake that is frying on the pan for love of him, and that done, if there is nothing else to call me, I prostrate myself in worship before him, who has given me grace to work; afterwards I rise happier than a king. It is enough for me to pick up but a straw from the ground for the love of God."
 
Blessing: If this glass had not broken today, I'm not sure that I would have been in tune with any of this. While I felt a strange sense of grief when that glass broke today, I think it was also a kind of spiritual wake up call. It got me down on my knees. It caused me to offer praise and thanksgiving to the God of all creation. It reminded me of the journey that God has led me along. It reminded me of the blessings of friends who have helped me and supported me. It reminded me of my own fragility and brokenness. In fact, in the midst of that broken glass was grace and blessing for my life and heart.
 
I appreciate you taking the time to read my life's ramblings and experiences through this blog. Thanks for being a part of my journey!