When I sat down to write this blog post, I decided to look up the definition of the word “reclaimed.” Here are just a few of the definitions I found:
- To rescue from an undesirable state
- To demand or obtain the return of; to regain possession of
- To get a usable material from materials that have been used before
The third definition may bring to mind an image of reclaimed wood, which Pastor Dan talked about in yesterday’s message. Another example of something being reclaimed is sea glass - pieces of glass that are tumbled around in the ocean for months, years, sometimes even decades, before washing up on the beach. I love sea glass and have quite a few pieces of jewelry featuring these reclaimed pieces of glass. I love it because it’s pretty, because it reminds me of the beach, which is one of my favorite places, and also because it reminds me of God’s redemptive work.
You see, sea glass is really just broken glass. (Sea glass sounds quite a bit nicer, wouldn’t you agree?) And not just broken glass, but you could even call it trash. Things that have been thrown away, discarded, abandoned - something no longer of use to its original owner. And yet people travel the globe searching for these pieces, turning them into art, jewelry, and other items of value and worth.
Isn’t that what Jesus does for us? He rescues us from an undesirable state. He takes us in all of our brokenness – we may feel that we’ve been abandoned, we are worthless, of no use to anyone – and he sees what we can be. Just as the sea takes a broken piece of glass and softens the sharp edges, smooths out and frosts the surfaces, and shapes it into something new, Jesus takes us and does the same in our lives. The waves that pound the glass over and over are like the circumstances and situations that he leads us through in order to reclaim us and make us more like him. He doesn't erase our past or our story, but he shapes it into something new and beautiful.
When I look at the sea glass sitting on my dresser every morning, it reminds me not only of the redemptive work that God has done in my own life, but what he can do in the lives of every person I will encounter throughout the day. Where we see broken, he sees beautiful. What will you see in the people you meet today?
Here are a few questions for you to think about this week:
- Are there people or a people group that you view as “un-reclaimable” by God? What are some ways you can begin to shift your perspective toward them?
- What part or parts of your life need to be reclaimed by God?
- How can you tell the difference between what is sound doctrine and what isn’t? What are some practical things you can do to help you know?
- Read Titus 1:6-9 What would those characteristics look like today in everyday life?