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Day 20I was standing over the trash can sharpening pencils for the sweet little girl I tutor in the mornings. Is it just me that finds that mundane task somewhat therapeutic?! As I sharpened I noticed that each time this particular pencil reached the point of being sharp ~ it broke! Aaarg! I would remove the broken piece of lead from the sharpener and start over only to have the same thing happen again and again!

You see this poor pencil had been tossed about, thrown on the floor, dropped, and had become so broken up on the inside that no amount of sharpening was going to make it useful. Unfortunately, there really was no hope for this poor pencil and I had to put the small amount that remained in the trash can with all it’s sharpenings.

There was a time in my life when I felt like that pencil. I would pick myself up off the ground, dust myself off, only to find myself broken again. No amount of external fixing could heal the brokenness that existed inside me. No amount of make-up, hair dye, adorning myself with what the world had to offer, could fix what was broken inside. I was not fulfilling the purpose for which I was created.

My heart and mind were hurt and broken and that is what had to be healed before I could be of any earthly use. My sweet friends there is only one who can bring that healing:

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners” Isaiah 61:1 HCSB

Jesus read this Scripture aloud in the synagogue in Nazareth and, after rolling up the scroll, with every eye fixed upon Him, He said:

“Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.” Luke 4:21 HCSB

Jesus came to “heal the brokenhearted”: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17 HCSB

Jesus heals! Jesus saves! Jesus restores!

Psalm 126 NASB
When the Lord brought back the captive ones of Zion,
We were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter
And our tongue with joyful shouting;
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us;
We are glad.
Restore our captivity, O Lord,
As the streams in the South.
Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting.
He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed,
Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
 

It is only once I receive healing and restoration on the inside that I can withstand the sharpening ~ and I am meant to be sharpened!

“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Proverbs 27:17 NLT

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.” Hebrews 10:24 NLT

We are meant to arm ourselves with “the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word.” Ephesians 6:17 HCSB and that “word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 HCSB

My dream is to be healed from all the hurt and brokenness that is in my heart. My dream is to receive continual renewal from the hurt every time I find myself tossed on the floor by memories or new situations.

I love Colossians 3:10 ~ Paul is encouraging the church at Colossae and talking about receiving the new self after being raised with Christ. He says that those who have come to Christ have put off the old self (Colossians 3:9) and have put on the new self (v10) which is “being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (ESV).

I am saved. The old Sarah is gone! The new Sarah is here! That is past tense in this passage BUT “being renewed” is in the present tense because it is a continual process and I can be confident that God “who began a good work in you [me] will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6 ESV.

My dream is to be healed from the inside out and also to carry the Word of God and to continually sharpen it by spending time in His Word daily, and to fellowship with other believers and friends who I know will sharpen my actions and attitudes to be more like Christ.

There really was no hope for that pencil! Its lead could not be restored, and it could not be sharpened to be of any use. There is hope for my brokenness though! Day by day I continue to be renewed and sharpened so that I can be a light in the darkness and through Christ, bring healing to others who are broken. That is my dream ~ to fulfill the purpose for which I was created.

Kari Jobe: Healer

Disclaimer:
Welcome to my “31 Days to Dream” and thank you for joining me on this journey. I don’t hold the road map for October–God does! He started the journey by taking me down a path of memories, some of which I had long forgotten. He showed me how He has made my childhood dreams come true in ways that I could never have imagined. He is giving me FAITH and HOPE for the road ahead. God and I then spent some time looking at dreamers in the Bible to learn from their lives. He is now showing me more dreams of my heart.
 
I am excited to see where He leads my dreaming over this month of #Write31Days 🙂 You can find my other 31 Days to Dream posts here!