Tattered and Torn

Today the family was in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner. I was listening to their conversations: The subject of house pets came up and about all the work they are to take care of......

Stephanie proudly announced that her dog was well behaved! Quickly the boys reminded her about all the books the dog had chewed when it was a puppy!! In defense, she promptly replied, "Well, all animals are like that!" Feeling a little childlike, I sheepishly added, "That's not true; my goldfish never ate any of my books." Peels of laughter immediately diffused all other rebuttles......


After the family left the kitchen I remembered a piece from my journal, when Stephanie's puppy did like eating books...

Tattered and Torn

One day I left my bible in the living room, on the coffee table. That would have been OK, if it weren’t for two dogs. One of them is going through the chewing stage. I should have known better, but I left it there, forgetting how much our pup likes books. I know that we are supposed to “taste and see that the LORD is good,” but I don’t think letting the dog have my bible was what God had in mind. When I found my bible again, it was mess!

I began to pick up the pieces, crying and chiding myself for being so dumb. I loved my little bible! I carried it everywhere with me. (Well, evidently not everywhere, or the dog wouldn’t have got it.) I was really upset with myself! I was crying and shaking at the same time, tears were streaming down my face. My precious Word of God, how could I have been so stupid! That little bible had been instrumental to opening up the kingdom of heaven to me! It had revealed to me my Savior’s love! I had other bibles, but this one was in such a simple language that even a child could understand it. I had felt like a new child when I began to read it; it made God real to me. Now it lay in many pieces!

I decided to divert my passion into praying for others. No use in focusing on myself. When you’re hurting, you can refocus and be touched with the feelings of others. My heart was tender at the moment, so I fervently applied my heart to prayer.

When I began to calm down, the Lord spoke so tenderly to my soul, “Are you willing to give up your little bible?” I said, “Yes Lord, I’ll do anything you ask.” He then asked, “Do you really want to give it up?” “No,” was my sad reply. The Lord then asked me another question. “Are you willing to carry your little bible with you even though it’s cover is ripped up and it’s missing pages? I said, “Yes Lord, even though it’s ugly now and keeps falling apart, I’m willing to carry it around, because I love this little bible. It’s mine.”

What God ministered to my heart next, sent me into such a tearful, thankful, joyful and precious, loving time with Him that I never shall forget it. My eyes brim with tears as I write this, and my heart overflows with love for Him.

What Our Precious, Loving, Heavenly Father said to me was something like this. (I can’t remember precisely because I was so overwhelmed by His goodness.) … “That is the way I am with my children. I am not ashamed to call them my own. I am not afraid to show them off to others, even though everyone can see that they are a mess. People can readily see their faults and blemishes, but I still use them. I proudly call them mine. I clean them up and fix them up as time goes by. Sometimes during the mending/ healing process, people can see the ugly tape holding them together, but I don’t hide them away….. ‘I have called you by name. Child you are mine.’” Isaiah 43:1 (1 Jn 3:1, 1 Cor. 6:20, Rom. 5:8)

“Oh what love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God!” Know this, that you are bought with a price, you are not your own and while we were yet sinners Christ died for us and gave himself for us.

Give yourself completely to Him. Let His love, His blood and His Word wash you and cleanse you, and make you whole!