Visiting a
friend at his family gathering, a young grandson brought smiles to our faces by
practicing his new skills in salesmanship.
He was selling rocks packaged in plastic snack bags, freshly collected
from the river running directly in front of us.
His “bargain price” for these rocks was one dollar.
Unable to
resist the dimples and charm of this young entrepreneur, the adults dug deep
for small cash. As we produced dollar
bills, we were quickly informed that his preferred currency was coin. Four shiny quarters were better than one
piece of paper and one hundred pennies were even better! No one cheated the boy, but he would have
gladly accepted any amount of change over a single paper bill. Chuckles and knowing looks were exchanged
among the adults thinking, “Soon enough he’ll understand.”
Pondering
the purchase of those river rocks, I thought of Christ’s broken body, payment for
the debt of our sin. God sent His son
Jesus to make change in our lives, in our brokenness...an exchange. The breaking
of Him was for restoration of us.
Before his
crucifixion, Jesus feeds thousands by breaking up a single lunch of bread and
fishes into pieces. He prays blessing. He breaks.
He restores. Many were fed with
the pieces. And somehow there was excess
where the whole seemed insufficient.
Then, the
Gospel of Luke recounts the Last Supper in a way that paints the picture of
this divine broken way. Jesus addresses
the Apostles in Luke 22:19 (ESV):
“And he
took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them,
saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’”
Jesus
tears his dinner roll into pieces and hands those pieces to the Apostles. Did they remember serving up the bread and
fish to the multitudes? Now Jesus is
telling them to do likewise. Tearing and
sharing and saying now you restore
too. Jesus then submitted himself to
being broken for the sake of wholeness offered to mankind.
If you
tear God into one hundred pieces, is He still the almighty God? Yes, of course! Yet to those of us who receive His
forgiveness, that broken body is priceless!
The hurts
of this life have torn me to pieces. Perhaps
you are torn up too. So, what if we stopped
striving to pull ourselves together and, instead, we offer our fragments as a
love offering for the restoration of broken relationships?
Forgiveness
is about paying the bill of the hurt someone has inflicted upon you. Is there enough love within you to pay that
debt? Or have the wounds drained us of
the love God filled us with?
Relational
injuries feel like the weight of worthless rocks, and giving love in exchange
for them is irrational. But this is the
call Christ gave to his followers – to love.
Even our enemies.
The next time you find yourself digging deep for change, pause and be
reminded of how much love God has poured into you, and how much love you have to spend on others.
Author
Bio:
Sharon has
been writing and teaching biblically based curriculum, Bible studies, and
devotionals since 2007.
She has
had the unique position of writing curriculum and teaching for two private,
Christ-based, residential recovery programs. Both programs primarily served
women in the homeless community.
Sharon has
traveled multiple times to Kenya, serving on medical teams and teaching in the
rural Maasai communities. She’s been privileged to speak in Leadership camps intended
on encouraging and empowering the impoverished, underprivileged, and often
abused young women.
Within
these ministries, Sharon has witnessed the transformative power of loving words
spoken to the broken-hearted. Sharing God’s love and witnessing its
transformative power has become her passion.
Sharon and
her husband, divide their time between Oregon and Hawaii. They have two grown
children.
Currently,
Sharon is encouraging others via her inspirational blog, but prefers sharing
face to face. Additionally, she is working towards a degree in Ministry.
~*~
Connect
with Sharon:
Website: Sharonmusgrove.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Sharon-Musgrove-Untethered-102208978041060
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharonmusgrove_untethered/
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