Damaged in Transit

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:1-6 ESV).

I’m always looking for the bargains. Not long ago as I walked down the aisle of the grocery store looking for the “red tag sales” I noticed something that really caught my attention. At the end of an aisle there was a bin filled with dented cans and missing labels. The sign said, “Damaged Goods.” There was no organization, no real rhyme or reason, just random items that were not shelf worthy. And suddenly, it struck me. There have been those times in my life when I felt just like that. Life sometimes delivers the unexpected. Lessons learned in the school of hard knocks bruise us, dent us and remove the label that defines who we are. We feel as if we have been tossed into a bin, no longer worthy of a place on the shelf. Some people substantiate the lie that we are second class failures and all hope is gone. So, I leaned over and intentionally chose a dented can with no label from the bin. I got it home and placed it on the can opener with anxious anticipation. The whir of the can opener finally penetrated the metal lid to reveal sliced peaches in sugary syrup! What a treat to open this can and be greeted by one of my favorite fruits. The can was damaged but the contents were still good. God must have smiled. It was at that moment that a wonderful eternal lesson was rekindled. I have been damaged. We all have to some degree. You may be one of those “damaged” by life. You may be thinking that you are not living the life that you dreamed about when you were younger. The dreams and hopes for your life have long since faded into the backdrop of life. Challenges and trials have overpowered them, making them little more than a distant shadow. I want to remind you as we travel through this Lenten season that the damage that you have suffered has only made the contents of your heart so much sweeter, so much more compassionate. They have served to lead you to a place where you could experience the grace of God so much more. You may have been looked down upon and judged by many who have seen your label missing and slapped on their own. They want to place you at the bottom of the life’s bin. Let me remind you that Jesus paid as high a price for those at the bottom as He did for those that are proudly displayed on the top shelf. Your hope will not put you to shame!