The other day, I walked into our front room, where my closet is, to grab a pair of shoes. What I found instead broke my heart.

I had been given the most beautiful butterfly dish when I was young. It had belonged to my sweet grandma that I never had the honor of meeting. This was a piece of her that had been passed down to me, and I cherished it. I walked into our front room, and there it was, shattered. The wings had been broken off of the blue and black butterfly, and lay in pieces beside what remained of the dish.

I hadn't done the act; a house guest of ours had. He didn't mean to, bless his heart. But he still did, and it hurt me. I had to see the only connection I had to that beautiful lady I'd heard so much about shattered into pieces.

Seeing that beautiful piece of art broken spoke to me. It screamed out, "This is what some of your relationships look like. This is how some of your dreams look. This is your heart when you step away from your Father." I was so ready to just give into the bitterness, to give into the anger I felt. The Spirit whispered, "Don't give in, daughter. Step into the brokenness. It's okay to feel the hurt."

Step in, I did. I stepped into my reality and took a look around. I had so much brokenness surrounding me, and all I wanted to do was weep. How could I have let my life fall into shambles such as these?

Examining everything I saw around me that was in pieces was not an easy thing. I saw relationships that I thought were healed being cracked back open by my unwillingness to let go of my busy life and communicate. I saw my dreams that I had such passion and ambition for slowly slip into the background because all I could focus on was my sin and disconnect from God. I saw my heart, damaged and aching, trying to beat in rhythm with His plan, but it was struggling. My life was falling apart before my eyes. I was broken.

It's amazing what happens when you realize where you are in life. I saw myself for who I was - a broken daughter of the King, longing to be put back together by my Potter's hands. In addition to seeing all the shards of a perfect life on the ground, I saw the temple being rebuilt. I saw my Savior chasing me, begging me to just look up and see Him. I saw my Lord's hand in everything I did, no matter how trivial. I saw that I wasn't beyond healing, beyond saving, beyond restoring.

I saw a new creation.

We all face broken situations at some time or another. Our families and homes may be broken, relationships may be falling apart, or life itself may just seem like it's unraveling at the seams. However, the brokenness isn't where it has to end. The brokenness isn't final; it's the beginning.

There is beauty in brokenness because we are able to see the Father's heart opening and fighting for us, remaking us with every labored breath we breathe.

Hallelujah.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." - 2 Corinthians 5:17