Gracefully Broken

I was in Dollar Tree last night and there was a woman and two children behind me in a LONG line. One was an older child and the other one was a toddler. The older child had a pack of glow sticks and the toddler was screaming for them.  The woman opened the pack and gave him one, which stopped his tears.
He walked around with it smiling, but then the older child took it and the toddler started screaming again. Just as the woman was about to correct the older child, he bent the glow sticks and handed it back to the toddler.
 All of us walked outside at the same time.  The toddler noticed that the stick was now glowing and his brother said "I had to break it so you could get the full effect from it."
I wanted to run away from what I was hearing because l heard God saying to me, "I had to break you to show you why I created you. You had to go through it so you could fulfill your purpose." That little child was happy just swinging that "unbroken" glow stick around in the air because he didn't understand that it was created to "glow".
There are some people who will be content just "being" but some of us that God has chosen, have to be "broken".
We get sick, lose a job, go through divorce, bury our spouse, parents, best friend, or our child.  In those moments of desperation, God is breaking us.  When the breaking is done, we will be able to see the reason for which we were created.

This was posted by a friend on Facebook.  Author Unknown

It reminded me of Matt Redman's song, "Gracefully Broken."

Below is the link to this song!  If it does not work, copy and paste it into your url.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0646vaI45dA

Gracefully Broken Lyrics

Take all I have in these hands and multiply

God, all that I am and find my heart
On the altar again set me on fire, set me on fire
Take all I have in these hands and multiply
God, all that I am and find my heart
On the altar again set me on fire, set me on fire

Here I am, God
Arms wide open
Pouring out my life
Gracefully broken

My heart stands in awe of Your name
Your mighty love stands strong to the end
You will fulfill Your purpose in me
You won't forsake me, You will be with me

Here I am, God (say)
Arms wide open
Pouring out my life (Pouring out my life)
Gracefully broken
Say again, here I am, here I am, God
Arms wide open
Pouring out my life (Pouring out my life)
Gracefully broken

All to Jesus now
All to Jesus now
I'm holding nothing back
Holding nothing back
I surrender (I surrender)
Y'all throw your hands up and sing I surrender (I surrender)
Say I surrender (I surrender)
All that I am, I surrender (I surrender)
Have Your way, use me Lord, I surrender (I surrender)
Do Your will, it's all Your way, I surrender (I surrender)
Use my life for Your glory, say I surrender all (I surrender)
You want to tell Him right where you are (I surrender)

(Oh) Your power at work in me
(Oh) I'm broken gracefully
(Oh) I'm strong when I am weak
(Oh, ooh-oh) I will be free
(Oh, ooh-oh) Your power at work in me
(Oh, ooh-oh) I'm broken gracefully
(Oh, ooh-oh) I'm strong when I am weak
(Oh, ooh-oh) I will be free
(Oh, ooh-oh) Your power at work in me
(Oh, ooh-oh) I'm broken gracefully
(Oh, ooh-oh) I'm strong when I am weak
(Oh, ooh-oh) I will be free
(Oh, ooh-oh) Your power at work in me
(Oh, ooh-oh) I'm broken gracefully
(Oh, ooh-oh) I'm strong, I'm strong
(Oh, ooh-oh) I will be free, yeah
Oh oh

Here I am, God
Arms wide open
I'm right here
Pouring out my life
Gracefully broken

Tasha Cobbs Leonard wrote the following:

God will break you to position you,
Break you to promote you,
Break you to put you in your right place.
But when He breaks you; He doesn't hurt you, He doesn't.
When He breaks you; He doesn't destroy you, He does it with; grace
Anybody been gracefully broken?
Thank You, Lord, thank You
So Father tonight, we're broken before You
Thank You for handling us with grace..

His Beloved Warrior Bride,

Johanna