Broken, Scarred but Useful

Today I read a meditation in The Upper Room about a bus called ‘Special’ that was used to take Honduran villagers to church. Even though it had a cracked windscreen along with mechanical problems that couldn’t be fixed, it was used for an important purpose.

Then I thought about some of the people that I know—people who are less than perfect. I thought of Joel, the pianist who is blind but who can stir people with his beautiful music; of the lady whom some people regard as strange but who offers her time to pray for others; and of the boy with Down’s Syndrome who seems to know when someone is suffering and offers them hugs, even though his words are difficult to understand.

None of us is perfect. But just as God uses the bus called Special and people regarded as strange or disabled by human standards, he can use us for divine purposes. Cracked pots, broken buses, people with mental or physical disabilities—God calls each of us to special service in this world.

Prayer: Lead us, O Lord, to awareness of our purpose in this life. Open our eyes to opportunities for service where we are, with whatever skills we have. Amen