This morning I took a large drinking glass from our kitchen cabinet. It holds almost a quart and I try to drink at least three glassfuls of water a day to stay hydrated. Thirsty after my morning workout, I turned on the faucet…but my glass wasn’t getting full. I suddenly realized that a stream of water was flowing OUT from its bottom! A chunk of glass was missing. It must have bumped against something in the sink or on the counter, cracking it just enough so that the dishwasher dislodged the chip. With no way to repair it, I tossed the glass and chose another, this time inspecting it first. Glasses normally do not have holes, so it’d never occurred to me to look for them before!
People aren’t meant to have holes either, but often we do. Disappointments, hurtful words, unflattering comparisons, and the stresses of daily life can strain our souls. Even as fractures form, we put on a good front to appear whole. But if we are honest we recognize our burdens, fatigue, hurts, and brokenness are keeping us from functioning at our best.
Jesus understood the human dilemma and therefore lovingly offered an invitation. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30 KJV). If you listen to Handel’s Messiah this Christmas season, you will hear this passage in a lovely, peaceful, and calming soprano solo.
This invitation goes hand in hand with Jesus’s declaration of why He came to earth. When He first officially spoke in the temple, Jesus read from Isaiah, proclaiming, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19 KJV). He came to heal our wounds, to heal our hearts, to make us whole again.
We see this repeatedly demonstrated in Scripture. Jesus cured incurable diseases like leprosy, made the lame to walk, the blind to see, and the deaf to hear. He made “hole-y” people whole. His mission hasn’t changed—He wants to make us whole as well. If we’ll trust Him with our weight of care, our wounds and heartaches, He can heal our brokenness with His love, power, and perspective. As His good opinion of us takes root in our hearts and minds, He restores our souls (Psalm 23:3).
Repairing my glass this morning was physically impossible. But in terms of people, “with God, nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37 KJV).
Beautiful, Carrie! Thanks for this timely reflection.