You are His child

Isaiah 61:3 "To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness: that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified."
I heard a story years ago about a famous violinist..sorry, I can't remember his name..who was performing a concert at a huge stadium in New York City. When he stepped out onto the stage and began to play, one of the strings on his violin broke. Everyone in the audience gasped and wondered what he would do, but this violinist never missed a note. He somehow knew his instrument well enough to know how to continue to play without any of the notes being affected. Later into the concert, a second string broke. Again, the audience couldn't believe what had happened, and waited to see what he would do. Once again, the violinist kept on playing his instrument, and never missed a note. He had great skill with the instrument he played, and just instinctively knew how to move into the next string without any type of lack being shown in the beautiful music that came forth.
After a time, a third string broke. This was unbelievable to the audience..who had watched this man perform beautiful songs with only two strings. They all gasped and felt that at this point, there was no way the violinist could continue. They were all sure that he would walk off stage, and they would be offered their money back...but that's not what happened. This skilled violinist moved his hands down to the only string left on his violin, and performed an entire concert with only one string. He played for at least an hour, every song that was in his repertoire, and never missed a note!
Our lives are like that old violin sometimes. We go through life, and we suffer losses. We suffer through broken relationships. We lose jobs. We suffer the death of a dream. We feel broken. We lose someone that we loved more than anything. We find ourselves ill, and unable to function the way we used to...but like that broken violin..God can still use us to make beautiful music for His kingdom. The violinist in the story was able to keep playing, even when there was only one string left. God..the One who turns ashes into beauty, the One who gives us the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, the One who gives us the oil of joy for mourning..does some of His best work in and through those who the world would see as having not much to give..those who have been through tragedy, those who only have "one string left"..
I am told that this story is a true story. That entire audience waited with baited breath to see if the violinist would discard the broken violin, and get another one that was "perfect"..but he didn't. They all watched in amazement as he made the most beautiful music with that old, broken, one stringed violin.
Beloved, God would NEVER discard you! When He sees the brokeness in your life, He gently lifts you up. The Bible says that when you are a child of God, you are in His hand, and no man can pluck you out. He will use the broken things in your life to minister to those around you. He will draw you close and may even use you to comfort those who might be going through the same things that you have gone through. As a child of God, when you grow older, and you begin to feel all the aches and pains, like you aren't operating on all your cylinders any more, God is not through with you. God has great purpose for you. As the violinist knew his instrument well enough to keep going, God knows YOU. He knows how to carry you. He knows how to help you to continue in life when you feel like you can't go on. No matter what you have been through, your God would NEVER let you out of His hand. He will hold you there..all the way until He takes you to heaven.
Today, no matter what you are facing, remember that you are HIS child..the child of the Master musician. He can take every broken thing in your life and make something beautiful in and through it, and in and through you!