The Cracked Bead

Several years ago I decided to take up jewelry making.  Soon I was immersed in a tangle of red, blue, aqua and clear beads. There was wire, pliers, crimp beads, and bead stoppers rolling around all over my kitchen table.

As I began to discover my taste in beaded jewelry, I learned that I liked tone on tone bracelets and necklaces.  I was stringing a necklace of clear beads and then clear quart beads that were fractured inside--cracked beads!  As I was making the necklace--one clear bead, one cracked bead, one clear bead, one cracked bead-- it occurred to me that the cracked bead was me.  I was filled it cracks and fractures though I wished I had no imperfections.

I also discovered something else.  Light went right through the clear bead but the bead with the cracks and fractures reflected brightness back out.  I had always wished I had a clean and perfect life but I was broken and as I exposed my hurts and cracks to the light of Jesus, beauty began to shine out of those flawed places.  God wanted to redeem the damaged and fractured places;  He wanted to bring beauty out of brokenness.

I had to embrace my cracks.  I had to submit them to the light of Jesus. Then beautiful reflections shone out.

Embrace your cracks!