Shattered! Still Pieced Together

By Dr jarlat Uche opara

Born into a polygamous family, lost my mum at a very early age, left under the care of a father who never was avaliable and the warm of paternal feelings more like raw gold hidden beneath the earth surface.

The aggressive and wicked rods of step mothers never spared me.

Under their heavy weight I grew, eating once a day and not eating at all some days. Like a donkey burdened by loads way above its strength, my back carried.

Broken, but none to complain, starved with no alternative means to eat. Stuck with them even when my life was daily being shattered.

Raped couple of times by those who took advantage of my vulnerability. Even when my flesh and spirit loathed it, my will bended, their way they had .

Kicked out into the cold severally, shivering, looking for succour, the only succour that came with salt adding to my injury would always be men taking undue advantage of me.

Forced by circumstance to embrace prostitution, a lifestyle that shattered me the most. I became channel anybody would pass through for peanut.

Wounded, shattered and broken but life situation kept making it my last option, an oxygen if not embraced my survival becomes very impossible.

One day amidst these rubbles and rubbish of a lifestyle, God showed up for me. His light that entered me burnt my old ways and gave me a new garment of love, hope and recovery.

The mending wasn’t rosy, the chiselling very discomforting, slicing off the flesh of immorality, already eaten deep into my life.

It wasn’t magical. Not automatic, but gradual . The entrance of the light of God’ word became a cleansing agent, breaking my old self and creating new ones. “ He bond up my brokenheart. Gave me beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning…”

The above picture showed my old and ruined self and my present situation of a Renewed life helped by grace.

No situation is too terrible and irredeemable that the light of God cannot make beautiful.

I wouldn’t know what your aches and frustration are, how ugly and broken you are. Disfigured and shattered by life, God can mend it , with no traces of your cracked and shattered past. “Broken by life, mended by God — the same heart, restored by grace.”(Psalm 147:3)

Be calm and know that he is God. No situation no matter how shattered, wounded and messy would overwhelm the power of grace to make new old things and turn broken glasses into an awesome diamond, glittering and showing forth the richness in a Christ driven life.

You may be broken and shattered, your mending through Christ is assured.

I was there, controlled with obsession by the spirit of lesbianism, masturbation, fornication, smoking, drunkenness etc. My life was darkened by the spirit of lies, anger, pornography etc.

Today I am a new creation and those old habits gone. The life of Christ that is in me, the light that shines on my path, my daily strength. That Jesus that did it for me stands before you, with bleeding hands, beckoning on you to come and have rest. Just a yes and resolve to embrace this new light and life, you would be fine.

Jarlathuche@gmail.com