Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries
I will never forget that day.
I was surrounded by brightly painted walls and the cluttered remains of my sweet children’s playtime, but all I could see was darkness.
The toys that were strewn about the room reminded me of the condition of my heart.
A cluttered mess.
One single tear multiplied to uncontrollable sobs. How did I get here?
I thought I could handle it all. I thought I was strong enough. I was wrong.
In that moment of complete brokenness, I was faced with a difficult decision.
To cry out at God in anger, or to reach out to God in desperation.
I am so grateful that I found the strength that day to resist the urge to blame God for my problems.
In my pain and brokenness, I choose to ask Him to show me a better way.
And He did.
This is my testimony of a time in my life when God allowed me to experience brokenness so He could redirect me down a path I wouldn’t have chosen for myself.
This is my journey to back fruitfulness.
This video is just a small part of the message I shared last week to a room of 60+ young mothers at a local MOPS meeting.
As I prayed and prepared my talk, I couldn’t escape God’s gentle prompting to share my broken with these ladies.
I like looking like I have it all together. I really do.
I’d rather not talk about the times when I’ve failed, the moments when I’ve struggled to accept the person God created me to be.
But we’re all broken, aren’t we? We are all in need of a little Divine intervention.
How can I minister to your broken heart if I’m not willing to share how God has ministered to my own?
When we find the courage to share our own stories of brokenness, a beautiful thing happens.
We discover that we are not alone.
When we find the courage to share our stories of brokenness, we discover that we are not alone.If you are feeling worn and weary, I’m here to tell you that God sees you.
He loves you with an everlasting love, and he wants to lead you on your very own journey to fruitfulness.
Your journey and your destination will look nothing like mine because God has a truly unique purpose for each of our lives
Keep digging deep into the word of God and seeking His plan and His truth for your life.
Invite Him to fill the empty spaces; trust that He is trustworthy.
The moments that proceeded God’s greatest blessings in my life were the times when I felt the most broken.
I felt completely broken in the moments proceeding God's greatest provision in my life.I am so grateful that I found the strength to carry on.
I am so grateful that I chose to raise an open hand to God instead of an angry fist.
I am so grateful that God rescued me when I cried out to Him.
In closing, I have one final word of encouragement for you.
Always remember that God is interested in our eternal destiny, which means that His blessings don’t always look like blessings to our non-eternal eyes.
He knows the big picture and the end of the story, He knows the plans that He has for you….
“…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you.” Jeremiah 29:11-14 (NIV)
Trust him with all you’ve got, for He is trustworthy!
