One of my favorite classes I took in college was an art appreciation course. When completing your degree, you have to take a certain number of fine arts courses at UNCG, so I took this class and ended up loving it. There was a bit of history, but the main focus of the class was seeing what makes art, art. That’s a super overarching topic, and one that I won’t focus on today. What I want to talk about is a piece that I discovered while researching a project. Modern artist, Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen took mirror shards and covered a series of mannequins with the pieces. Then, she shone light on the mannequins, creating a light affect similar to a disco ball. I just remember thinking how cool that was, and recently, remembered this again and feeling the Holy Spirit nudge me. My life has been wild the past few months, with incredible moments but with it the fear of the unknown creeping in. In conversations with friends of mine, this feeling is not something I share alone. I think even you may be walking through some very real unknowns, feeling like you aren’t sure what’s next. These fears are tools from the enemy that then cause us to doubt ourselves. We begin to feel like failures, worry about past mistakes, and compare ourselves to those who seem perfect around us. We end up feeling broken. Shattered people who feel like they can’t be anything in a sea of people. The Holy Spirit nudges me sometimes in my moments where I feel week, reminding me of promises and truth in scripture. The thing he reminded me of right now, was of those sculptures, a broken masterpiece.
Last week I was reminded of the truth that we are all created in the image of God. God has been working on me through this idea, and helping me fight against lies that I tend to fall into. You’re not good enough, you don’t have enough of a story to share, you’re too young, you don’t fit in. Lies. When we take lies to our savior, he reminds us just how much he loves us and goes after us. A savior who left the throne, coming down to earth to be fully man and God, while enduring the biggest heartache any of us could even imagine. He was rejected, betrayed, cast out, and murdered; yet he did it all even if it only were to save one person. That’s the crazy thing I love about God, he goes after the one, no matter how difficult it may be. He has been seeking you, and no matter your struggle or past mistakes, he calls you a masterpiece. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” God chooses you. No matter your past. No matter the things you struggle with. No matter what. God calls you his masterpiece.
We are all broken.
It’s an easy trap to fall into the comparison game. We look at the images of people around us and they look perfect. We look at Instagram and see a perfect life, they have the job, the relationship, and the expensive hobby; all while looking picture perfect. The reality is, that’s not reality. Sure, everything may seem great, but we don’t realize the professional photographer that seems to be stalking these “influencers” capturing “candid” moments. We need to remove that veil and remember that no one is perfect. Scripture says that all have sinned and fallen short (Romans 3:23). We have to realize that we are broken, and that we can’t do this thing called life on our own strength. Our brokenness is an opportunity for God to show up and reveal his love in your life. We are all broken, but our God is perfect and he has created you for a purpose.
Our brokenness is a testimony.
Once we accept that God is our strength, our brokenness becomes a story for others to hear. If someone were to try and connect with you, but they pretended to be perfect, it would be hard to connect with them. When we accept that our brokenness is a testimony for how God has worked in our lives, we can be a beacon of hope in someone else’s life. Every person you read about in scripture is a broken person, they all make mistakes or fight fear in some way, and God continually uses the story of the broken to bring hope. Even Jesus loved hanging out with the broken people, he went and ate with tax collectors and prostitutes because he cared about their story. He knew that their story would be more powerful than the religious leaders who pretended to be perfect, because no one wants to listen to a faker. That’s why we crave honest relationships, we don’t want a mask, we want the truth. So, use your story. Talk about the struggles you have dealt with, and always remember to end it with “but God.” My story is filled with anxiety and feeling worthless, but God showed me that I am a masterpiece created in his image and that my life has value because I was designed with a purpose before time itself. You see, your brokenness is not something to be ashamed of, it is a testimony to how God has radically transformed your life.
We are broken masterpieces. Just like those mannequins, made up of broken pieces, but when the light is on them, they reflect a beautiful design all around them. You were not a mistake, you are not your past mistakes or current struggles, you are made in the image of God. You are so worth loving. You are broken, but your brokenness is a testimony to the lost. Fight the lies, your life has value because it was made for a purpose only you can accomplish. God sent his son to die for you, because he knew you were worth it. No matter what may be going on in your life, always remember that God loves you more than you can possibly understand.
You are a broken masterpiece.
-Joshua Thomas
Joshua Writes 