Damaged Goods - Encouragement Café - June 23, 2017

Damaged Goods
By Carol Davis
Friday, June 23, 2017

“…you are precious and honored in my sight, and….I love you.” Isaiah 43:4 NIV

I shuffled down the aisle of the discount grocery looking for a bargain that I couldn’t live without. It is always hit and miss in this store, and I had missed, again.

But, I passed by a bin that caught my eye. “Damaged Goods.” It was filled with dented cans and missing labels, no real rhyme or reason, just random items that were not shelf worthy. And suddenly, I knew just how I felt.

Life sometimes delivers the unexpected. For me, the unexpected was becoming a single mom. My dream of having two kids, a boy and a girl, and living in the brick Cape Cod in a nice neighborhood, somehow ended up short.

My white picket-fenced fairy tale life turned into more of a soap opera with me as the emotional main character. The death of my dream of a ‘normal’ family left me feeling like damaged goods.

The school of hard knocks bruises us, dents us and removes the label that defines who we are. We feel as if we have been tossed into a bin, no longer worthy of a place on the shelf.

Some people substantiate the lie that we are second class failures and all hope is gone.

So, I leaned over and intentionally chose a dented can, with no label from the bin. I got it home and placed it on the can opener with anxious anticipation. The whirr of the can opener finally penetrated the metal lid to reveal….peaches!!!!

I let out a school girl squeal! I love peaches!!!!! What a treat to open this can and be greeted by one of my favorite fruits!!! The can was damaged but the contents were still good…and sweet.

God must have smiled, because at that moment the sunshine beamed in my kitchen window. I knew in my heart there was a lesson.

I have been damaged. We all have to some degree. I am not living the life that I dreamed about when I was a kid.

However, the damage that I have suffered has made the contents of my heart so much sweeter, so much more compassionate, so much more in pursuit of Jesus.

I have been looked down upon and judged by many who have seen my label missing and slapped on their own. Don’t judge too quickly until you see that my damage has not defined me…but, it is refining me.

I may be at the bottom of the bin, but Jesus paid as high a price for those of us at the bottom than he did for those that are proudly displayed on the shelf.

Look around you. Is there someone in your life, your family or your church that you consider “damaged goods?” Don’t miss an opportunity to reach out to them, to love them.

You just might find a friendship that is good…and sweet. Know too, that if you are feeling like damaged goods today, that God sees you for the sweet gift that you are.

Dear Lord, Thank You for this reminder that we are all damaged goods in one way or another, but even more importantly, thank You for reminding us that You still love us, despite our bumps and bruises. Dear Lord, help us to always keep our eyes on You and not on the imperfections of others or on the expressions of others looking for what they think of us. Help us remember what really matters more than anything else is what YOU think of us and that we live our lives for YOUR glory and none other, to worship You and serve You in everything that we do, in our own imperfect but special way. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

© 2017 by Carol Davis.  All rights reserved.

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