BROKEN PIECES
RUTH CHAPTER 1
Naomi Loses Her Husband and Sons
1 In the days when the judges ruled,[a] there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. 2 The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.
3 Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. 4 They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there for about ten years, 5 both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.
19 So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”
20 “Don’t call me Naomi,[b]” she told them. “Call me Mara,[c] because the Almighty[d] has made my life very bitter. 21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted[e] me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”
22 So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.
Naomi was a woman that had gone through so much pain and loss. She was so hurt that she asked the people not to call her Naomi anymore but to call her Mara.
In her pain and her brokenness, she had no clue that the LORD had a purpose and a plan for her life and he was going to use it all for his glory and to bless her.
This amazing story summarizes that Naomi moved back to Bethlehem with Ruth, and she spoke wisdom and instructed Ruth on what to do and Ruth obeyed and did exactly as her mother-in-law instructed her to do.
As a result of Ruth’s obedience, she finds favor with Boaz, and he marries her. And the LORD our redeemer redeemed the lineage of Naomi’s family. Our GOD is so faithful, and he loves us so much that nothing that we go through is wasted. He utilizes every broken piece of our lives to create an amazing one-of-a-kind masterpiece.
Furthermore, we see in Chapter 4 of the book of Ruth how the LORD wiped away the tears of Naomi and how he turned her mourning into dancing.
13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14 The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! 15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”
16 Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. 17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
Most times we look at our lives and all we can see are the broken pieces from all the hurts, disappointments, trauma, abuse, and more.
One thing that I have begun to understand even with my own life is that the broken pieces are not there for me to put it all together. And the reason is that there is one who loves me so much and can do such an amazing job much better than I could ever do.
On my journey to healing and wholeness. I have seen that the hand of the LORD on my life is so amazing that he picks up all those broken pieces of my life and puts them all back together. And the amazing thing is that not one of those pieces is left behind by the LORD, my abba father utilizes each piece of my brokenness to create this awesome one-of-a-kind masterpiece.
A couple of months ago I was in a season where I needed clarity on the next action and what direction to take. I remember crying out to the LORD and I asked him which way he wanted me to take. At this moment I was in tears, and I recall parking my car in the garage and bursting into tears and asking the LORD to help me. I needed the LORD to help me see the path that he had laid before me.
Suddenly the LORD opened my spiritual eyes to show me that I was focusing so much on the broken pieces of my life, and he showed me how the lens that he is looking through is so much different from the one that I was looking through. And then my Abba father invites me to look through his lens to see the beauty that he sees and not what I am seeing with my lens.
I know right now things may seem like it is all a mess. But we serve a GOD that knows how to take our mess and make it into a beautiful story that he plugs into “His” Story”. And this beautiful message and oil that came out because of our pain and confusion is now used for our good and the glory of GOD. It now becomes a masterpiece, and our lives are showcased by the LORD to show others how loving and kind our Abba Father is. And our struggles and pain are now used to set others free.
My question to you today is “Will you let the Father take your broken pieces and turn them into a marvelous one-of-a-kind masterpiece”? GOD loves you so much and he has an amazing plan for your life. Do not let the enemy deceive you into thinking that the LORD does not care for you or that the LORD does not love you. Abba’s father loves you and cares so much for you.
Beloved I pray that this message has encouraged you today. And I want you to always remember that just as beautiful as this Japanese Kintsugi bowl art is,
so are the pieces of your brokenness when Papa GOD puts it all back together and makes a masterpiece.
Psalm 34:18 KJV
18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Be Blessed and remember that you are loved and Cherished.
Love,
Ije
REFERENCE
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+34%3A18&version=KJV
https://www.etsy.com/listing/923692477/large-midnight-blue-kintsugi-bowl?
https://www.instructables.com/Kintsugi-Repair-With-Gold-Effect/
