Broken

 

"Fire and Ice" by Joe Coker

I just had a mini conversation with one of my many zany nephews.  If God intended us to like the cold, He would not have made us Southerners.  I do not like cold. I do like my Southern comfort. I do like to whine, obviously.

Forgetfulness is still flourishing in our house.  I meant to bring in the glass bird feeder knowing full well it would burst in the sub zero temperatures. Those minus digits that should never raise there ugly head here in the south.

You guessed it.  I forgot.  I was reminded when I noticed a beautiful red cardinal sitting on the deck shifting stares from the broken feeder to the back door.  I did not feel too badly about the feeder.  That was all my doing.  I did feel sorry for the birds’ disappointment at the loss of a food source.  I have heard it said the reason we don’t have babies after a certain age is that we will put them down and forget where we left them.  I don’t doubt that reasoning.  I cannot be trusted with caring for a simple bird.  Or so it would seem.

A light bulb was broken off inside of the entry way fixture. I would confess the culprit but I don’t recall. We kept meaning to fix it, but forgetting.  I told Dan I had found a great technique on DIY.  He has heard this too many times from me to not be skeptical.  One night while frozen in and Dan where he could not stop me, I decided to give it a whirl.  I sliced off the end of a potato. Holding my breath I gently (and prayerfully) slid it over the end of the broken bulb.  With a few turns it came right out.  I am so thankful I did not get electrocuted.  Even better, I avoided an “I told you so.”

 

Whew!  It worked!

Dan has been putting in a lot of hours at a local mens' shelter. He loves it. The only draw back is his concern over what mischief I may get us into while he is away.  The shelter is a wonderful ministry.  The founders have done an outstanding job in organizing it.  They hold true to, “give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach him to fish and he will eat a life time”.  We humans are a fragile race. But by the Grace of God and help of others, what was broken can be mended. There are many similar ministries in our area. One housed in a beautiful old home feeds countless families.

Today we enrolled in a disaster relief program.  One of our friends shared how her house had been totally destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.  She was so grateful for a team of disaster relief volunteers who showed up to dig out and clean up her home.  It made the brokenness and sadness of her devastating loss more bearable.  She was not alone.

I am thankful I have the luxury chattering about trivial things like bird houses and light bulbs. My heart is full of gratitude that I have food, shelter and love.  May we always remember to share all three—especially Love!

 

Beautiful Jackson House Mission

Brokenness takes many forms. Tomorrow is “Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.”  As we join together to honor life and the lives of our children lost to abortion, we ask for hope and healing to abound. We pray for  all who are broken to allow Him to comfort and heal your hearts.

The beautiful photo "Fire and Ice" by our friend Joe speaks volumes.  Even midst the worst of storms, there is always that glimmer of Hope.

 ……a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.  Psalm 51:17