There is a popular quote that has infiltrated social media and found its way on many graphic images- “Broken crayons still color.” Many people have found this quote encouraging, which has been proven by its repeated sharing and posting online.
The fault I find in this quote is that it isolates the broken crayons, and assumes that they are the exception. In reality, we are all broken crayons. Not one of us has escaped breaking at one point or another in our lives. One who claims otherwise is deceiving others and possibly deceiving themselves.
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” – Psalm 34:19
This world is hard. It is full of pain and unfairness and cruelty. In actuality, most of us have probably been broken multiple times. Fortunately, even a box full of broken crayons will still color.
If you talk to a true artist, they will tell you that a box of broken crayons is preferable to a box of perfectly unbroken ones. Broken crayons have various edges and angles that, together, can be used to create something with much more depth and detail than unbroken crayons ever could.
Sometimes an artist might break a crayon on purpose in order to maximize its potential. Other times, the crayon was already breaking or broken and the artist simply used that brokenness to add to the beauty of the piece. Regardless of how the brokenness occurred, the artist knows just how to use it to contribute to the masterpiece in process.
“But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; we are all the work of Your hand.” -Isaiah 64:8
As an artist knows how to use broken crayons to create a masterpiece, our God knows how to use our brokenness for His glory. We are all broken in our own way, and He, the ultimate artist, uses our painful experiences to better His kingdom, both in our own lives and in the lives of others.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” -Romans 8:28
