I was thinking of those darkest times that made my connection to God so strong. And the word that came to mind was "crumpled". When I was crumpled in a heap of sadness, with no strength in me - he was there to hold me.
It reminded me of a piece of paper. It starts out smooth and unmarked. But over time, it gets smudged and creased, even crumpled into a ball when it gets really messed up! And even though it might uncurl a little, it can't really do anything to fix itself. It just gets tossed into a rubbish bin.
When we get really messed up - and sometimes things in life do that to us, we can struggle to open up again. We can stay crumpled and defensive, guarding ourselves from the life that has caused us harm.
God can open us out again so that we are able to share our story - but here's the thing. We are never quite the same. Those creases remain. The wrinkles remind us of the chapters we've lived through, hopefully teaching us lessons we can use to positively affect the life we now live. And they soften over time. And become the wisdom of life experience. And a memory storage of the depth of connection we've shared with God coming through those crumpled times.
So when you struggle with the scars life has scored on your life, use them to remember how he's brought you through them to where you are now. And share your story. It might encourage someone else in their crumpled moments.
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