Bent But Not Broken

Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are. ~Arthur Golden

Today’s devotional is about being bent but not broken.  There are so many things in life that happen that can cause a bend in us.  The loss of love, the death of someone close to us, the heartache of being treated cruelly, the list is unending. 

When I thought about this it made me think of Hurricane Rita.  Rita hit the gulf coast where my grandparents lived in Louisiana.  When we were growing up my grandparents had huge oak trees and pines behind their house.  They owned the land behind the house and it was simply covered in trees and dense brush. 

We went back to Louisiana not long after the hurricane and the most profound thing I noticed and will never forget during that trip was the back yard.  Where before you could not see the sky for the trees overhead, there was nothing but sky across six acres.  The wind didn’t just bend the trees.  It had either twisted them and broken them off or totally uprooted them.  The oak trees that were uprooted were over 100 years old and had root systems that were 10 to 20 feet across and it was like someone opened a box of matches and threw them on the ground.  There was not a tree left standing, everything was simply leveled. 

I thought about how much power that took to level six acres of trees.  If we think about it, God has so much more power than that and the thing is he won’t give us more than we can handle.  He may bend us but he won’t break us.  His will for us is obedience to Him. Sometimes that means we will have to be bent because we are hard headed and want to do it our way.  The thing is, His way is always the best way.  Too many times we make it harder than is should be because of our choices in life.   Even when we choose to be obedient to Him trouble will still come, but it won’t break us. We will all end up with dings and dents throughout our lives but isn’t that what makes each of us uniquely qualified to help others come to know our Heavenly Father.  

 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, there have been times in my life when I thought I was broken but when I look back I was really just a little bent.  You showed me grace and mercy by helping me through the hardship and I am forever grateful.  Now I see my bent as the blessing of You building strength in me. Jesus is the one that was broken on my behalf.  Thank you for your unfailing love.

Scripture:   He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.  “It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the Lord will be broken.  The Most High will thunder from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth.” 1 Samuel 2:9-10