A Lenten Devotional

I hadn’t ever expected to make a submission to the devotional booklet. Not being particularly knowledgeable biblically, I’ve never felt very qualified.

But the theme for this Lenten season, “Gather Up the Fragments: A Sacred Journey From Brokenness to Wholeness” got me thinking about my own personal brokenness and my own journey.

Not many in the church would know us. Those that do are aware of our 6 year old son who “suffers” from autism. It’s been nearly 3 years since his diagnosis. Many times I have felt broken and lost in my efforts to help my son. I see how autism has “broken” the pieces of a young boy’s mind-a beautiful boy with a loving heart and vibrant spirit. A boy I know is so smart, but the fragments of his brain are unable to interlock; not allowing him to express all that he knows and feels inside. How my life as an individual has been impacted, how family struggles can make chips in a marriage, how one child’s disability impacts the life of a sibling.

But then I think, “Am I really “broken” after all? Or are all of these pieces part of a greater puzzle that has yet to be solved? A puzzle with a deeper connection to the rest of the world and to God?

In times of frustration I remind myself that “God’s gifts do not come wrapped in the same packaging.” Some gifts may have material worth, or be wrapped in bright packaging with big bows and curling ribbon. Others are wrapped more plainly and seem less extravagant. Yet all of God’s gifts are precious and sacred. I know Jacob is a gift from God and through God’s loving grace, I know Jacob has many gifts himself to give. Gifts such as these come largely in the form of life lessons.

The pieces of God’s puzzle for our lives may not complete a picture that I would have chosen for myself, but I hold strong in the faith that it is a picture that provides a greater purpose than I may be able to recognize.

So many people in our lives: family, friends, teachers, therapists, doctors, and members of this church have given graciously of themselves and have been God’s gift- or glue- that helps hold everything together.

Through the brokenness in each of our lives, I believe we are able to piece together something greater than our individual parts. Whether it be in bringing awareness and advocacy for a particular disability or illness, feeding the hungry, helping build a Habitat house, participating in a mission trip, or comforting someone in despair, we are helping to create that greater whole.