The Dog, The Bowl and The Crazy Glue

Last year for Christmas, my son and daughter in law to be gave me a beautiful dish, hand-crafted in Mexico. It matches nothing, but that makes it go with everything. I enjoy its colourful glossy patina so much, that I made it my butter dish.

Enter the dog.

After doing my best to love and take care of my dog, hand feeding her sausage and filling her bowl with Greek yogurt, I turned my back for only a moment – betrayal! The ungrateful mutt, jumped up on the counter and knocked my ceramic bowl to the floor, smashing it.

Following a sound scolding, I picked up the pieces and the crazy glue and went off to secluded place to try to repair my bowl. Determinedly shooing away her pouting puppy dog eyes and staunchly ignoring her head nuzzled into my knees, I picked up the first two pieces of the bowl and promptly cut my thumb; it took ten minutes of trying to stop the bleeding, whereupon I finally donned a bandage and then proceeded to crazy glue my fingers together… sigh.

After some humming and ha-ha-ing, fiddling, fixing, sadness, frustration and dog-gone it perseverance, I got the bowl back together (and unstuck my fingers – although it will take a while to remove all of the glue). The bowl does not look like it used to. There are some cracks in it and there are some spots where the paint chipped off and jettisoned into the block of butter.

I look at this broken and mended, slightly askew, chipped but still usable bowl and I wonder if that is how God sees me. I’ve fallen and smashed a lot and yet, still He picks me up and mends me and makes me usable for His service. He doesn’t seem to mind the brokenness, in fact, many of the ways He’s used me have been precisely because I am broken.

If you are wondering how God could use you, broken and battered, remember that not only did He create you – as a potter created this bowl, but He loves you more than you can imagine, certainly more than a piece of pottery.

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty One who will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you by His love, He will exult over you with loud singing.

The Father delights in you and treasures you so much that He sent His Son to be your salvation.

The next time you’re looking at your flaws and doubting your worth, remember that the Potter has taken the time to put you back together, again and again and He loves you.

Psalm 147:3

He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.

Jeremiah 31:3

I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued My faithfulness to you.

Isaiah 43:4-5

Because you are precious in My eyes, and honoured, and I love you…I am with you…