Ethan and his fiance were choosing their China pattern for their wedding registry. The store representative showed them what he called one of their more elegant and newer patterns. They laughed and asked to see another. He presented a more gross "elegant" pattern. This was repeated one more time before they saw the plate that was exquisitely suited to them. Simple, with delicate purple butterflies seeming to dance around the white back drop. This was theirs. As she asked the cost per setting, the representative without any reservation replied $350 per setting.
Ethan reached into his pocket and pulled a drawing from his pocket. It was a drawing that he had been presented with earlier that day. He walked with his mentoring pastor through the inner city of hurting, lost people. The picture was given to him by a little daughter of a family that lived in an old office above the beauty shop. It was a picture of her horrid memory colored on a flimsy canvass of a paper plate. This recollection was of men with guns pointed at her family. As Ethan peered at this site, his fiance asked to see the rest of the pieces to the setting and remarked that they had to have something for their rich friends to buy them. At this time Ethan realized that China was not important when others were struggling as the family of this little girl was. It was at this climax of the movie "The Second Chance" that it hit me. "Broken China!"
You would have to know about a couple other things in order for you to know why this was such a great impact on me. It was like my Heavenly Father hit me with a Mack truck to tell me that this is it. My Heavenly Father has carried me along this journey of life. A journey to which I have been told that one does not understand how she could hear a smile on my face as I recalled some history of my life to her. My answer was that my Father gives me the strength, and I rely on Him to work all things for HIS good! (Romans 8:28-29) He has taught me the things of this earth don't matter. When He has allowed us to steward things, they are blessings for us. It is also for our good when He allows them to be taken away.
I have, as all of you probably have, experienced times of having nothing, times of deepest felt loneliness of human relations. (Not to say that I did not have the sweet companionship of my Heavenly Father!) These times beckoned me to draw even closer to HIM!
The example of my sweet, loving, and all-knowing Father allowing something to be taken away from me that came to mind during this scene of Ethan and his fiance is about broken China. It is how the name and idea for this blog was presented to me.
We had just gotten married and did not have any "elegant" earthly possessions. My mom's neighbor had a set of China that she wanted me to have. This was a set that I had never dreamed would be mine and had never even thought to ask for any possession of its kind.
I was blessed to have this possession for about 22 months. This was our 3rd move since we had gotten married. We were packed and on our way to Pueblo, CO, from Kansas City, MO. We arrived at the parsonage, and my mother-in-law was unpacking the kitchen boxes. She discovered a shattered plate, then another and so on until we found all of the China, save a divided serving bowl, had broken.
This was a reminder to me that He blesses us and continually provides for us. But earthly treasures and possessions come to go! The reason for my contentedness is found in Matthew 6:19-21. Lord, please give me Your treasures in heaven. Don't let my focus be on things of this world. Please remove any uncontentedness or distraction from You that can be found in my life, in my heart. Let me seek Your face, Your will, and the abundance of life that only You can give!
So as I begin to share with you the things that my Heavenly Father lays on my heart, may you see the joys of Broken China and may He use me to draw you ever so close to Him!
HIS Broken China!
