Broken crayons still colour...

          I was watching a video of an inspirational talk by Toni Collier entitled, "Broken crayons still colour." She used the example of her young two-year old daughter to introduce her topic. One day she went to pick her daughter up from school. Instead of finding her daughter excitedly waiting for her when she opened the door, she discovered that she was quietly colouring in a corner. Her daughter had been introduced to crayons by her teacher and was fascinated by them. Toni’s imagination immediately went wild and she started imagining that her daughter might become the next Picasso. On their way home, she stopped by the store and bought art supplies for her including a jumbo box filled with sixty-four crayons. 
         When they arrived home she set up the art materials for her to create whatever masterpiece she desired and went to cook dinner. After awhile, she noticed that there was silence and went to investigate. She was shocked and not a little dismayed when she discovered what her little Picasso was up to. The crayons had been broken and the paper ripped off of them. As if that wasn't enough, there were colourful drawings all over the wall. When her mother asked her why she had done what she did, she turned around, looked at her and simply said, “Mommy, colour” and then continued with her colouring. Her mother realized that she had no idea what she had done. As far as she was concerned, even though they were broken, the crayons still worked. They had not lost their ability to do what they were created to do, they had not lost their worth or their value!
         I thought of various characters in the Bible who were considered broken or defective in some way. In fact, many personalities in the Bible all had different flaws and imperfections. Rahab was a harlot and a Canaanite. She was the least likely person to help the Israelite spies when they came to spy out Jericho. Yet, her kindness to them brought about the deliverance of her family when the Israelites defeated Jericho (Joshua 6:17). Not only this, she found a spot in Jesus bloodline as one of His ancestors (Matthew 1:1-16). She may have been considered a promiscuous, loose woman, an outcast in society, but her social position could not stop her from being a very useful vessel in God’s hands. And right there is the key – in God’s hands what was considered of little or no worth or value, became a priceless tool used to fulfil God’s will and purpose. 
         What about the people Jesus healed in the New Testament? They were all broken in some way but Jesus stepped in and healed them and made them whole. I am thinking of the story of the man who was possessed by a legion of demons. He was certainly broken and was no good to himself or anyone else. He lived among the tombs and when they tried to bind him with chains, he would break them off. No one could control him. Yet, when Jesus stepped onto the scene, He cast out the demons and the man became as new. He wanted to go with Jesus but He restrained him and encouraged him instead to go and tell his friends what the Lord had done for him (Mark 5:1-20). In God’s hands he became a useful evangelistic tool to spread the message of Christ. Not only that, the story of his brokenness has been included in the Bible to encourage anyone who feels discouraged, overwhelmed and alone that God is able to turn any situation around for good.
         But, let’s step outside of the Bible for a bit. What about you and me? We have all experienced situations that seemed to want to break us, even destroy us. We may have felt broken, defeated, useless. But when God steps into the picture He uses us, even while we are still broken. When you think about it, God cannot show His goodness, mercy, love or greatness through perfect people but through imperfect ones. Jesus came after all for the broken to show HIS ability to heal, to deliver, to save, to set free. Our brokenness and imperfections cannot stop God from using us for His honour and glory. That’s why when we put our imperfect lives into God’s perfect hands, the world gets to see who He really is ... and He gets all the glory!  
             If you have not asked Jesus Christ to come into your life and be your personal Lord and Saviour, please take the time to do so now. God doesn’t want you to wait to get it all together before you come to Him. He wants you to come just as you are, with all your brokenness, with all your faults, and allow Him to do the redemptive, healing, creative work that only He can do in our lives.

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