Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Shabar (shaw-bar')

This week I started the online bible study for Ann Voskamp's new book "The Broken Way", in the first video session, she asked a question "why are we afraid of broken things? That question got me thinking, why are we afraid of being broken? What is it about being totally broken, exposed and raw that makes us afraid? Why is it that when something happens to us that we feel that we are alone like we are the only ones that have ever experienced this divorce, loss of job, rejection, anxiety, depression, shame, fear, etc.  Ann uses John 12:24-25 to help us understand:

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to
the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. 
But, if it dies, it produces many seeds.
The man who loves his life will lose it, 
while the man who hates his life in this world
will keep it for eternal life.

If ya all are like me, you have read that verse many times, but the meaning never really sunk in, this is an awesome picture of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus. Could it just be that we all have to fall and break in order to be the bearers of much fruit? 

Some of you are probably wondering about the title of this post- after listening to the first video session I looked up the Hebrew word for broken, which is shabar, which literally means to break or break into pieces (http://biblehub.com/hebrew/7665.htm). This word is the definition of ME. I have been broken/am broken into pieces, so many that I never thought I could ever pull them back together. Recently, I found a picture that showed me how important broken things are:


If broken OBJECTS are mended with gold, imagine what God does with us, when HE puts us back together, if we are willing to lean on HIM. It says many times in Psalms that God is close to the brokenhearted, and that he saves those that are crushed in spirit, and that HE will bind up their wounds. When a bone is broken, the place that broke, as it heals becomes the strongest part of the bone, so imagine your broken heart, where it is broken, will heal to scars. Those scars become your battle scars of a war that was fought and won and now becomes stronger. Scars and all we are perfect, beautiful in God's eyes. Perfectly Broken. 

While I am writing these posts, I put my headphones on and listen to music, and as I was writing this last paragraph, the song "Clean" by Natalie Grant came on, it kinda put this whole post into perspective, What negativity I see, or say about myself, God sees something beautiful, we are beautiful to HIM, we are HIS beloved children, created for HIS glory (Isaiah 43:6-7). 



I live in Iowa, and the last two days we have alot of snow, winter is such a mucky, messy mess, I am reminded of Isaiah 1:18:
"Though your sins are like scarlet
they shall be white as snow;
though they are red as crimson, 
they shall be like wool."

All that muck and mess was just covered with a fresh blanket of white snow, it is symbolic, all are sins are covered, and they become white as snow, it is a beautiful picture. As I have said before in one of my posts, I am inspired by music, and this week I have heard many songs that fit into this post, I will try and post all the videos for the ones I feel inspired me this week.

Remember, we are all broken, that is not something to be afraid of, this brokenness will mold and shape us into the people that God has intended us to be, although it will leave many scars, please remember that you are BEAUTIFUL, don't let the enemy, anyone else or mostly yourself tell you anything different. Turn to the ONE who made you, turn to HIS word. 





A last note, I was introduced to a blog this week that is written by a young lady that struggles with the same thing that I do. Anxiety. I have struggled for many years, and the winters are the worst, and when you are alone, those thoughts that run through your head can be crippling, zapping all your energy. Somedays it is a fight just to get out of bed when you just want to throw the covers over your head and forget the rest of the world. In one of my devotions from this month, I read this from Romans 5:3-5:

We rejoice in our sufferings because we know that
suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and 
character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, 
because God has poured out his love into our hearts
by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

So young lady, cling to hope because it never disappoints. Remember that your feelings are indicators, not dictators, just because you feel it, doesn't make it real (Lysa TerKeurst) (Even though they feel real.) Now a song or two just for you, both are from Skillet (they are my favorite) these are more like fight songs for you: Remember you are not alone!!! I know that you have a wonderful support system, which is awesome. My prayers are with you, and I know that you are gonna do great things, because you were created to.



Have a good week all!! Blessings to each and everyone that reads this. You are loved more than you know.

Shawn

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing and showing what's on your heart! Such encouraging words and songs. ❤

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  2. Thank you for reading. And commenting:)

    ReplyDelete