Heartbreak to Strength Blog

I was exhausted from a long, stressful day.

The worries and deadlines of the upcoming week were weighing me down. Wishing I could just go to bed early, the reality was I had another hour before my boys would be home.

I needed to clear my head and find a way to relieve the stress. 

Glancing at an empty wall in my hallway, I decided it was time to create.

Thankfully I had already ordered the pictures online as well as purchased some new frames. As I started to creatively lay out the frames and design for the wall, my mind began to clear. Adding the pictures of our latest family vacation also made me smile. 

My heart was moving from stressful to joyful!

Hammering the nails into the wall, I began to design my picture work of art. Each image I added brought back memories to a special moment in time with my boys. I could feel the stress dissipating.

What I did not even realize that night when I was decorating my wall, I was actually creating. I was using my hands to alleviate the added stress in my life. By the time my sons returned home that night, I was giddy with delight over what I created with my hands.  

“Working with our hands relieves the mind.”

This quote is from Rebekah Lyon’s new book, Rhythms of Renewal.  This amazing book talks about four Rhythms to help you trade stress and anxiety for purpose and peace.  

I had the privilege of interviewing Rebekah on my latest podcast.  She shares about the four rhythms: rest, restore, connect, and create as well as practical examples for each of them.  I know you will find her words to be insightful and full of wisdom. 

Rebekah says in her book, “Using our hands, employing our God given creativity to make something new is good medicine for the soul.”

Friends, I totally agree with these words. Are you feeling stressful and anxious? Maybe it is time to give your mind a well-deserved break and create with your hands. Do you like to bake, garden, paint, sew, craft, refinish furniture, or hang pictures like me? 

It is Time to Create!

Love, Jodi

Note: I encourage you to read Rebekah’s new book, Rhythms of Renewal as well as listen to our conservation on my Depth podcast. Her words are life-giving. To listen, click on the link:  https://link.chtbl.com/vZzTid7o

I am also giving away a free copy of her book.  To enter, go to my website, https://jodirosser.com, and click on book ministry for details.

The light captivated me.

Intrigued by its brightness, I just could not take my eyes off the beams of light.  Surprisingly, they shined brilliantly through the slivers and cracks in my clay pot.  This got me thinking about my own brokenness.

What if God’s light shined the brightest through our cracks and broken places?

You see, a pot with no cracks, chips or broken places does not allow much light through it. However, if a pot has many cracks and broken places but still shines bright for Jesus despite those circumstances, then that is a beautiful thing.  

Could our brokenness actually help us be a stronger light?

I believe the answer is yes! This illustration of brokenness brings me hope. Can you feel the hope too?

I love this verse: 2 Corinthians 4:7-9, “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.”

We may feel perplexed and pressed on all sides, but remember we are not crushed or abandoned by God. We may even get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

To see our brokenness in this light requires a shift in our perspective.  

I believe what the enemy intended to break you, to shatter you and harm you, God can use for good. He can make you stronger and grow your faith like you have never experienced before. Then You can shine brighter than you ever did before.

Friends, I want you to shine brighter than ever before.

Does this bring you hope? My prayer is this new perspective offers you unwavering hope.

Love, Jodi

This cracked clay pot illustration came from Suzie Eller’s book, Mended Heart: God’s Healing for Your Broken Places.  After reading her book, I purposely broke a clay pot and glued it back together. God taught me so much about brokenness by doing physically what I felt emotionally.

To hear more about this, check out my conservation with Suzie on my podcast this week. You do not want to miss her nuggets of truth.

Link to Depth Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/vZzTid7o

Also, I am giving away a copy of her book, The Mended Heart. Go to Book Ministry on my website for details. https://jodirosser.com