God Delights In Broken Vessels

Today my littlest boy rode his bike to school for the first time without the benefit of his training wheels.  

I thought about how quickly he'd figured everything out, and was amazed.  He'd only learned how to ride his bike with only two wheels last week, and was already cruising away as if he'd been doing it for months. 

As I reflected on all of this, it occurred to me how, in spite of all of my failings, brokenness and the stupid things I do as a parent, Jacob is growing up as a confident, fearless little dude---despite the many mistakes I make.

It made me so grateful to God that God allows me to do good in the world in all of the various roles of my life, in spite of myself.  Because of the love of God, I am not defined by my past, by bad decisions and the mistakes I've made when I have tried to do life on my own.  

I never ceased to be amazed at how, in the words of Philip Yancey, "God wants to share power with the likes of me."  God could use hundreds of other ways to do what God needs done in the world, but chooses us broken vessels to effect God's will.  

Whenever I wish that God would show up in miraculous ways to change and transform the world around me, and to demonstrate God's power in clear and direct ways, I am reminded that it's an even greater miracle that God would use me to do it instead.  


One of my favorite poets, George Herbert wrote this wonderful line nearly 500 years ago.  "Blessed be the Architect whose art/Could build so strong in a weak heart."  

May you feel the pleasure of the Lord as you stumble forward, seeking to do God's will in your broken and mistake-prone ways.  May you know that God delights in your stumbling, and relishes the moments when you see God's will being done in the world in you and through you.  

And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always. Amen.