I love this quote: “Our greatest glory is not in ever failing but in rising up every time we fall” (Ralph Waldo Emerson). As we face the good and not-so-good in life, we realize how totally vulnerable we are to our circumstances. It is at that pivotal point that those happenings can make us or break us. I understand more than ever that we can, even in our brokenness, be put back together and rise to new awareness as we surrender to a greater power working in us. That, my friends, is the redemptive power of a loving, awe-inspiring God.
The Mosaic by Antonina Caprino Bell
Pieces, nothing but pieces
Broken, scattered pieces all around me
Sharp, jagged pieces lying at my feet
Barefoot and vulnerable, I don’t know where to turn
Trapped and frozen in this place of disconnection
With no one to help me
With no one who really cares.
I cower in this place of brokenness
This place of aloneness
This place of misery—with my back against a wall
I sink down to the lowest level of despair
In my sinking, I examine the pieces
As I examine the fragments in my hand
I rise up and face my wall—my barrier
Can I piece things back together again?
Can I move back to a time when the pieces were whole?
What could I have done to prevent this shattering?
Such fragility—so delicate and intricately formed
Just like humpty dumpty sitting on his wall
No power on earth could put together the pieces again
I face my wall, picking up each piece one by one
The path clear now, I am able to move again
I step back for a better view
I step back again—still a little obscure
As I distance myself,the picture is clearer
What I see is a miracle before me
The mosaic is bright and beautiful with purpose and meaning
Its drawing power is soothing, calming
The message is clear the message is strong
The message is one of beauty and worth
To the one who struggles, it is a message of hope
For the one who has lost at life must always remember
The encouraging story this mosaic weaves
Not just a story of pain, heartache, and brokenness
But ultimately, an artistic work of beauty and grace
It’s time to let go –time to face our walls that stop us
They stand so tall and firm—seemingly immovable
Learning to turn over our struggles to a heavenly power
To all the King’s horses—to all the King’s men
Letting go of all bitterness and strife and malice
Facing our walls and beholding the beauty of all our broken pieces
Telling a story of redemption and grace
A story too precious for words!