Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. When I met with the Living God this morning to give my Praise, my Thanks, and to make my Requests known, I was feeling a little inadequate to accomplish all that He has for me in this Journey called Life. So, the Author and Perfecter of my Faith walked me down Broken Lane to remind me of how Strong I really am and just how it came to be. There are lots of things in the past I’d much rather forget…at least in the human sense…but the Hand of God brought calamity my way many times in my life…not to break me…but to Build me into a Usable Vessel and to make me strong for Him. I went from feeling inadequate to BELIEVING I have everything it takes to Serve the King of kings…ALL because of my brokenness. Isn’t that the way you look at your life too?

It can be so easy for most people to throw in the towel when they experience brokenness, but they miss out on all the Strength that can be found in Victory when they do. Some people shake their fists at God and demand answers when calamity strikes, and some people hide under the bed. Some people spend what seems like forever “asking” for explanations for why the trials showed up in the first place, while others are consumed with self-pity because God is being so “mean.” Some people gloss over the “break” experience as if it’s just a minor setback and they’ll brush it off without a second thought. Some people experience brokenness, but they stay so busy trying to hide it from the world that they miss out on the Beauty that is just around the corner if they’ll just let go and let God do what God does best. It makes me sad to see all those wounded people so clueless about the process, and it makes me even more sad to know that they can’t be Used by the King as long as they remain on Broken Lane. God takes Brokenness and Spins it into Strength IF we just accept the Purpose behind the storms.

I wish I could have avoided the pain and suffering of Broken Lane, but I wouldn’t be a Strong Vessel for Him today had He not taken me there to Shape me into what He needs me to be. I find comfort when I read about all those Saints of the Bible who were Broken for His Purpose too – like Paul on the road to Damascus and David after his sin with Bathsheba (and the list could go on and on) about people He walked down Broken Lane JUST so they could become Strong in His Name. Brokenness doesn’t end well UNLESS we accept His Purpose for our lives in the good times AND in the bad ones too. It takes understanding that brokenness comes with a Purpose much bigger than we can see on this side of Heaven…but we never fulfill the Purpose if we aren’t willing to look at Brokenness for what it really is…a chance to be Readied for Service… an Opportunity to become Stronger than ever. I’m not sure if I’d refer to what God does as a “test,” but He definitely forces us to flex our Spiritual Muscles to make us Stronger. The Author and Perfecter of my Faith has a Perfect Master Plan, and He longs for each one of His children to be willing to walk down Broken Lane with Purpose! Will we become weaker or stronger in the end? Will we see Broken Lane as a sign of a “mean” God or a testimony we’re willing to share with someone traveling down Broken Lan,e too?

I started off this new day feeling inadequate for the Job, but He set me Straight by walking me down Broken Lane all over again. He reminded me of where He’s taken me and how Strong I really am in His Name. He Encouraged me with Heavenly Reminders that I have EVERYTHING I need to do what He’s Called me to do and that Victory is mine. I Serve Him well…I Love Him and Trust Him completely…and I’m grateful for Broken Lane….the place where I found my Strength through Him.

I’m a Vessel for the Living God…an Ambassador for Jesus Christ. I’m a force to reckon with in His Name…and it all began with brokenness.

How about you?

“The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength.” – 1 Samuel 2:4