"No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening--it's painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way." Hebrews 12:11 NLT.

Have you ever made something and then realized that the only way to properly fix it is to completely undo and rebuild it? I am beginning to think that is what God is doing to me.

I remember the day I knew with certainty that I had been broken. And I felt that nothing and no one could ever heal my pain or mend my heart. My dreams were shattered and my life was in ruins. And my Heavenly Father had stood idly by and allowed it to happen.

Now I can look back and see that God was with me through it all, and more than that, he was allowing these things in order to bless me by shaping me more into the image of his son. There were three major areas of lack that I needed to confront: my lack of gratitude, my lack of absolute trust in him, and my lack of self-value.

The process has been torture, but I am learning to see my Father's kindness is the smallest aspects of my life. I realize that my life, heart, and dreams all rest in God's hands. And I am beginning to understand that my value is not determined by the opinions of others or even myself. My value rests in my identity as his creation and his child.

God broke me in order to make me whole. Has he allowed you to be broken? How is he reshaping you to make you whole?