As I finally sat at my dining table at 5 p.m., having just finished breakfast after a setback with back pain, I recited aloud a Bible verse God had given me earlier in the day for healing:
II Chronicles 20:21 — “Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever.”
The verse was a battle cry for King Jehoshaphat when God defeated an enemy who seemed impossible to conquer.
But as I spoke the words aloud, something unexpected happened. When I said “2021,” my heart sank, and tears flooded my face like a forceful waterfall.
I realized I had thought I was much stronger than I truly was. I was suddenly transported back to the year (2021) when my sweet love was called to Heaven. The pain was far greater than any back pain could ever be.
And yet, for two years on the outside, I had seemingly appeared courageous while, on the inside, my heart and soul were crumbling.
Glancing upward from the dining table, my eyes fixed on the glass chimney on my oil lamp atop the hutch. How perfect it looked, nestled among the whimsical beauty of my fall decorations.
But just weeks earlier, that same chimney had shown me how fragile perfection can be.
One night, it fell behind the hutch, shattering into what seemed like a million pieces. How much like life that chimney was! One moment, everything can appear beautiful and whole. The next, disaster strikes, leaving pieces scattered everywhere.
Those fragile shards reminded me of loss and heartache. Sometimes our broken pieces are obvious. Other times, they are hidden where no one else can see them.
That night, ignoring the broken glass was not an option. My two sweet kitties could easily have cut their soft paws on the shards.
And I began to wonder: How many shards of loss had I left scattered inside my own heart?
What needed to be cleaned up, surrendered, and healed so that beauty could begin to emerge again?
I looked once more at the newly replaced glass chimney, now held firmly in place with Gorilla Glue. And I clung again to the words God had given me:
“Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever.” Psalm 136:1
The words reminded me of Chris Tomlin’s worship song Forever, proclaiming the truth God is faithful, God is strong, and God is with us—forever.
This Thanksgiving, no matter our circumstances, God invites us to praise Him. Not because everything is perfect, but because He is.
He wants us to recognize the one thing that will never shatter, never fade, and never leave us: His love endures forever.
That evening, something shifted in my heart.
I realized I don't have to pretend to be stronger than I am. I don't have to hide the broken pieces or rush to put everything back together myself. I can bring every shard to the One who already knows where it came from.
Just as the little glass chimney could be replaced and made useful again, God can take the broken pieces of a wounded heart and, in His time, create something beautiful from them.
My circumstances may change. My body may hurt. Loss may leave scars. But God's love remains. Forever.
Closing Prayer
Lord, thank You for reminding me Your love endures forever. When old wounds surface and the broken pieces of life feel scattered around me, help me remember I do not have to hide my pain from You.
Give me courage to bring every shard of heartache, grief, fear, and disappointment into Your hands. Heal the places within me that I have tried to cover with strength. Restore what has been broken, and create beauty where I can only see pieces.
As we celebrate a season of gratefulness, thank You for being faithful when I am weak, strong when I cannot go on, and present when I feel alone.
Today, I choose to praise You—not because everything is perfect, but because You are faithful, and Your love endures forever. With a grateful heart, Amen.
