Thursday, December 21, 2017

Rubble

Submitted by Stacey McKenzie, Ukraine
Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”  Matthew 7:24-26

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.   2 Corinthians 5:17

The roads in many parts of our town in Ukraine can accurately be described as rubble! Crumbling rocks, huge and numerous potholes, and in many places, just mud and debris. We have grown accustomed to swerving and dodging the large crater like holes while driving, and avoiding the other cars that are doing the same.

What surprised me most, however, is the way in which the holes are repaired. Old bricks, ceramic tiles, and rocks are crushed and then put into the holes. The first time I saw this I was shocked and a little apprehensive about driving over the sharp shards of brick and tile that peeked out. I also thought that it didn’t seem like the best way to fix the roads, and I was right. With the next big rain, all that crushed brick and tile washed away and littered the already rubble filled roads. Once the sun returned, the streets were swept up, the rubble gathered and once again placed in the holes. This process is repeated with each rain or windstorm. It seems like a futile exercise but there is no money to properly fix the roads.

This situation reminds me of how we sometimes approach God with our weaknesses and sins. We have areas in our lives that need healing, forgiveness, or restoration. We need to repent and give God the “rubble” in our lives and let Him make us a new creation. We need to trust Him during the storms and not gather the rubble back with each wind. God’s healing and forgiveness is perfect and complete.


Lord, help me to stop trying to fix myself. I ask You for the healing, restoration or forgiveness that only comes from You. I pray for our missionaries as they minister to those with shattered lives, that their eyes and hearts will receive Your grace and mercy.

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