I am currently attending a youth gathering. It’s amazing to see these youth gathered together. I am here because a friend and I are leading an adult breakout group tonight (It’s past midnight). Sadly I didn’t bring any youth from my church, but it’s such a Holy Spirit filled gathering that I’m glad to be here. The theme is “Broken and Loved!

The theme verse is Romans 8:38-39. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, neither anything else in all of creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.”

I think these are words that we all need to hear; not just the youth.

As a young child who was teased, I didn’t feel beautiful. My mom and my other family members and friends who are pulled in by the darkness of a mental illness don’t
feel particularly beautiful at times. My best friend who died about five years ago and had a kidney transplant when she was in Kindergarten, missed a lot of school and put on lots of weight from the medication didn’t feel beautiful all the time. I think we all have had times when we didn’t feel particularly beautiful!

The truth is that God loves us despite all of imperfections. Through the waters of Baptism, we are all called and claimed as God’s precious children. God says to each of us, “All are welcome here!”
The mentally ill woman, the single mother, the disabled veteran, the man in jail, the special needs child, and YOU–are all welcome here!!!

Like clay jars; broken, shattered and pieced back together, God loves us and in our brokenness, pieces us back together. In all actuality, we are not just broken! We are not just loved. But we are all broken and loved!

Broken and loved, God continually wraps God’s arms around us. Hear God’s strong firm voice saying to each of you, “You are beautiful. You are loved. You are “fearfully and wonderfully made.”

For you are not just broken…..

For you are not just loved……

But you are both broken and loved!

And that my friends is enough!!