With Gloved Hands

"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:11

A few years ago, I was preparing to host Mother’s wedding to Ben. I had asked to borrow some silver serving pieces from a good friend of mine. I remembered that she had been given several beautiful pieces from her grandmother. When I went over to look at them, they were all tarnished with a grayish black marbling. I knew that I had 3-4 weeks to polish the dishes, so I packed some up, and brought them home. Day after day, I put on my rubber gloves, applied the tarnish remover and gently rubbed it until I could see the shiny silver reappearing. Over the course of the next month I actually looked forward to handling and bringing back to life the beauty of the separate pieces. By the time the celebration was upon us, the reception table boasted silver beauty. I was so delighted to be a part of bringing the beauty back from tarnished offerings.

There were times as a mother when I felt like that tarnished serving piece. Challenging and painful seasons when I wanted nothing more than to hide and be alone…sit on a shelf behind a piece of glass. I had allowed my circumstances to define me, and I felt tarnished…flawed…broken. But God, in His gentleness and loving kindness took me off the shelf. With gloved hands He gently applied His healing and comfort to my heart, and slowly brought beauty back into my life.

Life has a way of tarnishing our beauty, doesn’t it? Heartache has a way of redefining our value. When we look to humanity to define us, we will always be disillusioned. But when we look to our Creator, we allow Him to show us our worth which is Christ in us. When our beauty comes from Christ within, we cannot help but to reflect His reflection. There is never enough tarnish on our lives that God cannot remove if we will place our lives in His hands. We are His vessels prepared in advance to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to serve Him. He will gently restore our original beauty before the tarnishing appeared. And what a beautiful banquet our lives will display.