October 1, 2026
I was watching a popular singing show the other night. One of the girls was singing a Christian song, and the host asked her what drew her to this song. She answered that it was the first line of the song, which says, "You're shattered like you have never been before, the life you knew in a thousand pieces on the floor."
I immediately started thinking about the word "shattered." I feel like we can all relate to a time in our lives when we might have felt shattered. The definition of shattered says, "broken into many small pieces, impaired, thoroughly upset."
I can still remember the times when I felt shattered. I think I have said before that when we had to put our youngest daughter into residential care, my heart was totally shattered. I can still remember the pain of my heart feeling like it was physically breaking. The truth is, the ONLY way I kept living was because of God. He carried me through one of the most painful parts of my life. I also know that it was the prayers of faithful friends and family that sustained me when I could not pray for myself.
One thing that my experience with our daughter taught me was to be aware of others' pain. We have to really pay attention and listen to see or hear the pain of someone else. I think when you have something in your life that has shattered you, it makes you more aware to look and have compassion on the trials that others are dealing with. It's almost like you can sense it or just see it on their face. God never leaves you in a million pieces on the floor. He sends people to help pick you up.
Maybe we can be the person who prays for them, brings a meal, lends a hand, helps financially, writes a note, makes a call, or just gives a hug. We can be the people God uses to pick up each piece and carry it while He heals and mends the shattered heart or life. We must leave every piece and every hurt in God's hands to one day be able to see God's hand in every thing.
I read a quote that said faith is believing in advance what will only one day make sense in reverse. Isn't that the truth! Looking back, you can always see how God carried you and met all your needs. Even in the hard times, we must continue to trust and believe our God who never changes, not our circumstances that do!
The same song I quoted earlier has a second verse and that line is just as powerful. It says, "Beginning, just let that word wash over you; It's alright now, love's healing hands have pulled you through." That is just how God works. When we are shattered, He is doing some wonderful things in our lives that we might not even see until much later. However, He is giving us a new beginning. A new way. A new path.
Is it always easy - no. Is He always faithful - YES!
We can look back and see the pain, but we must focus on the beauty of new beginnings. One of my favorite Bible verses is Isaiah 46:4: "Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." He will never leave. He will pick up the pieces that are shattered. He will carry you when you cannot take another step. He will give you a new beginning. He will keep you steady when you feel like your life is in a million pieces and unmanageable. Psalms 62:6-7 says, "Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress; I will not be shaken. He is my mighty rock, my refuge."
On Christ the solid rock I will stand when I'm shattered, and trust that He is giving me a new beginning. What about you?
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Jill Johnson, a staff member at the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, finds spiritual applications in her everyday experiences as a wife, mother, grandmother and Georgian. She is available to speak to your church's women's gatherings. Reach her at jjohnson@gabaptist.org.
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