Have you ever seen that carnival-vaudeville act where the guy has several sticks standing upright with plates spinning on each one? Fast tempo music plays in the background while he frantically goes from stick to stick to stick, twirling each plate, trying to keep them balanced. He even adds plates to sticks as he goes. The crowd holds its collective breath wondering if he will drop a plate.

I just got back from visiting my family in Arkansas. Being home reminded me how different I am. My family is calm, cool, and collected. I’m sort of a mess.They dress right, talk right, and I suppose they even think right. I mean, I know they sin, because we all do, but their sin is invisible to me. I tried to put my best foot forward. I lost a few pounds, had my hair and nails done, and even got my eyebrows waxed. But in the end, I am the person on the inside, and that’s something that I haven’t the power to change.

I wasn’t there long before I realized that I cannot even pretend to have it together. There is no way to deny that my plates are breaking. In fact, it’s already happened! They are broken, and so am I. My plates fell a long time ago, and I sat in the midst of the rubble and wept. There was not enough crazy glue on the planet to fix those plates and make them useful.

Until I met Christ. He stooped down to where I was, lifted me out of that shattered mess, placed balm on my wounds, dried my tears, and then proceeded to put the plates back together, perfectly. I can’t change the inside, but Christ can!

Going home was a reminder that I don’t “fit in” anywhere. As the song says, “this world is not my home, I’m just passing through”. It reminded me that this life isn’t about me – it’s about Him. Because the truth is this: we all have plates breaking. There is no use denying it. Why not just give up? You cannot have Christ’s help until you let Him take over. Stop spinning the plates! Let them fall, let them break, and let Him help.

Yes, my plates are broken. But praise the Lord, He uses broken plates.

The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. ~ Psalm 34:18

With love,