It goes against everything we know, to treasure our broken places. From the time we are born we are told to try harder, do better, and we admire the capable, the beautiful, the successful, especially the ones who are strong where we are not. So we build on our strengths and work on our weaknesses and repeat to each other that “you can accomplish anything if you set your mind to it”…and “if you can dream it, you can do it.”

But what exactly are we working towards anyway, and what is the prize? This dusty whirlwind we are caught in could run us ragged and weary, and we could all howl long through the ages with Wise King Solomon: “Everything is meaningless…completely meaningless!” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). Would it be so horrible to just let go, to admit that we are only Dust and Breath and falling far short of perfect? Stop the pretense and sit quietly awhile before God, just as we are and empty-handed? Despair and hope are sometimes two sides of a coin, and can flip just about as quickly.

We talked about God’s strength in our small group, how it comes to us in our weakness, not just to supply our need but because of our need.  How when we use up all our own resources, and clear away the clutter of anxious trying, then there is space for Him– His very Presence utterly enough for every need, making up for what is lacking, and His glory spills out everywhere. The word is episkenoo…dwell in, make a home in. The weak place in my life I do not want becomes His own dwelling place and grace is poured out on empty hands and we become rich in His strength. Ordinary pots of earthenware, rough-shaped and cracked through everyday use, but brimful with Heaven’s light.

No wonder Jesus said we look at all the wrong things and Paul, seeing far with his eyes fixed on eternity, could say “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9)….make a home in me. God isn’t interested in being a convenience store clerk to dutifully trot out whatever we may need for the moment, and then go about His own business and stay out of our way until we need Him again. He is looking for living temples to inhabit and make His own. “So let hope rise, and darkness tremble in His holy light, and every eye will see Jesus, our God, great and mighty to be praised.” (With Everything, Hillsong United)

“Because God exchanges dust and ashes for beauty and miracles and He cares so much that He doesn’t care that it’s not fair…. God raises whole people out of ashes and He writes mysterious grace in dust, and with Him, dust and spit and muddied things can still help us see.”  Ann VosKamp

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary;   His understanding is unsearchable.” (Isaiah 40:28)