One of the most treasured things I own is broken. But, I still love it.
Here’s the back story:
In college, my friend Tony broke up with his fiancé – or maybe she broke up with him — I never really knew for sure. But, what was for sure is that the jeweler wouldn’t give him his money back when he returned the engagement ring. Bad for brokenhearted Tony. Good for supportive friend Jennifer!
Tony had store credit and he wanted to spend some of it on me. Wow. No, not on another ring or a piece of jewelry, he wanted me to have something very special — a Lladro. Have you ever seen one? They are stunning porcelain sculptures with a brilliant crystalline finish. What really sets a Lladro apart is the flowers. Each one is individually created, petal by petal so that every flower is a unique, unrepeatable creation.
Then, the sculpture stays in the kiln for about 24 hours at over 1300º! The result is that the Porcelain vitrifies, varnish crystallizes and the Lladró’s true colors come to the surface. So, you can imagine why they are so beautiful and so expensive.
Tony and I picked out a Lladro figurine of a woman with slender lines, wearing a graceful hat with one of her pale hands hovering over a delicate vase of flowers. She was beautiful.
On graduation day, Tony and I hugged goodbye and I left college with a diploma and a Lladro!
The Lladro moved with me from city to city, apartment to apartment, home to home. No matter where we lived, I always showed her off because she was such a treasure.
One fateful afternoon though — uh oh, here it comes– our four-year-old son Clayton was playing hide-and-seek near the table where the Lladro stood. You know what happened, right? A bump of the table sent her plummeting to the floor, chipping the tips of the petals on her flowers. My husband tried to glue her dainty pieces back together, but her bouquet was never the same. I know, what was I thinking leaving her there on that table where four-year-olds roam?
(Don’t tell Tony!)
So many years have passed since my Lladro became part of my life. She still stands up tall on a shelf in my office. I often run my fingers over her broken petals knowing exactly why I treasure her so much.
She reminds me of… me.
She reminds me of you.
We’ve all fallen and been banged up by life.
We’re all broken and flawed. But, just like that Lladro, we are still incredibly special because God designed and created us.
He shows us His love in the way He individually and creatively fashioned us. He shows us His love in the way He lets us go through fire so our true beauty comes out.
He shows us He loves us by placing us on the top shelf of His Heart.
In every word, on every page, in every chapter and in every book, God tells you He loves you.
Like my Laddro, you may be broken and no longer as put together as you once were. But, like my LLadro, you are still treasured. You may not feel worthy of God’s love, but God thinks you are worth His love!
My sweet sister, I created a video to help you know how loved you are. I asked some beautiful, ordinary, imperfect women to read my take on how God loves us in Scripture — 66 ways God loves us.
Check out this video to see how God loves you through all 66 books of the Bible. And, share it with your friends so they will know how precious they are to God too.
Even better, I wrote these truths into a book that you can use as a devotional or give as a gift — it’s 66 Ways God Loves You. It releases in just a few days on October 4 and you can find it at your book store or online.
Oh my friend, the love of God is bigger than your brokenness. It’s stronger than your past regrets; deeper than any failure or fear you may feel.
Let Him love you just like you are. Your life may not be perfect, but His love is. And His love is what makes you lovely!
When you watch the video, let me know which book of the Bible meant the most to you in the comments.
