Re-purposed.  The word makes me happy, giddy actually. It allows me to justify rescuing ‘treasures’ from the side of the road or from a farmer’s burn pile. It justifies my growing pile of birch branches and reclaimed wood that has taken over one corner of our yard.

It also makes me laugh because my husband cringes when he hears any word that starts with ‘Re-‘.  Tongue in cheek, he has forbidden me to bring home anything that needs to be Re-painted, Re-furbished, Re-done……you get the picture.  Nevertheless, I am constantly rescuing something that is ragged and useless for its original purpose, and trying to get Dave to envision the hidden beauty.

Seeing beauty in the broken and giving new life is the loving story of God’s redemption. When I sought the Lord He “repurposed” my life and gave me a new name. My name appropriately means wanderer but my new name, Child of God, means heir to the throne, daughter of the King. Where once my life was ragged and broken God turned it into something beautiful. Where once my life had no meaning, it now has purpose.

“He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.  He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God,…”         Psalm 40: 2-3a

When God redeems us He lifts us out of the pit and makes us a new creation. He cleans off the dirt and stains and sands down the rough edges. However, we can end up in that pit again; because of bad choices, or life circumstances that push us down that slippery slope.

I slid down that slope head first the day I was told I had stage 3 breast cancer.  It is impossible to bring glory to God from the pit so it’s not a place you want to hang your hat for long. Praise the Lord, He gave me a new song to sing and pulled me out;

“Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.”  Psalm 30:5

 In the morning my fear was gone. My strength was renewed and I felt that “peace that passes understanding”. I knew my faith was being tested and strengthened. I knew that I could use my ordeal to bring glory to God and be a comfort to those who were traveling the same road behind me and just like that I had a new purpose.

Jeremiah 31:4 says, “Again I will build you and you will be rebuilt,”

I am thankful for a God that is “greater than our weakness, greater than our brokenness and big enough to bring beauty out of ashes.” from Repurposed by Colleen Fraioli

Cancer could have left me on the side of life’s road broken, ragged, and useless for my original purpose.  Instead, God has truly re-purposed me again to keep on… just living the thing.