Even in your brokenness, you can still shine

-

 

Several months ago, I was walking through a passage in my house. The passage is narrow because I put two pieces of furniture against one of the walls. Two people cannot walk side-by-side through the passage at the points where the furniture are and if you are substantial in size, you will have to turn sideways to pass through. I was passing through the passage one day with a laundry basket in my hand and for ease of navigation I lifted the basket overhead. The basket hit and broke the bulb on the wall. Surprisingly, the bulb still illuminated when I flipped the switch, so I didn’t bother to replace it. Night after night I flip the switch and my bulb, as unsightly as it is,  illuminates without fail.

I am at a point in my life where overwhelmed is an understatement. I am physically and mentally tired. A lot of things are happening all at once and it has taken a toll on my mind and body.

Tonight, I was passing through the passage and for the first time I really stopped and looked at the bulb. I looked at the bulb and I swear when I tell you, I felt just like how the bulb looked…broken. And without even realizing I said out loud, “Here you are broken, and you are still shining.” I called my daughter to bring her phone to take a picture of the bulb. When she came, she said, “This bulb is hanging on by a thread, and it is still shining.” That was all the confirmation I needed. I turned to her and said, “Even in your brokenness, you can still shine.”

You know, sometimes life breaks us. Sometimes life leaves us hanging by a thread. But once there is even a glimmer of hope, keep going! Never stop shining. No matter what is going on in your life, still glow. Cry if you must, but still shine. Hang on by a thread if you have to, but don’t let go.

Remember, "Even in your brokenness; you can still shine."

-eS

Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 26, 2022 at 10:13 PM

    I am truly encourage by this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. eSAugust 28, 2022 at 3:48 PM

      It warms my heart that you feel encouraged.

      Delete
  2. LloydAugust 26, 2022 at 10:16 PM

    I been hanging by a thread for a long time but I realized that people continued to compliment me on how well I look😉 and a coworker said he wants to work hard as I do so he could succeed like I did ,poor boy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. eSAugust 28, 2022 at 3:49 PM

      We are not supposed to look like what we've been through or what we are going through. Continue looking good despite the very thin thread by which you hang

      Delete
  3. AnonymousAugust 27, 2022 at 5:04 AM

    Inspirational!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousAugust 27, 2022 at 6:20 AM

    Very encouraging.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Moya BAugust 27, 2022 at 8:39 AM

    Great perspective! The greatest part is admittance to being tired overwhelmed etc! Praying you will take the time to self evaluation on what fueles you and more of that 😍

    ReplyDelete
  6. ChevAugust 27, 2022 at 8:46 AM

    Good read and alot of us can relate to the feeling of brokeness at some point in our lives (some more often and constant for comfort). As a very practical person, my mind immediately turned to possible solutions as I read on. I would say start addressing the brokenness by purging and rearranging your life and home, literally and figuratively.
    Literary in the sense of the 2 pcs of furniture in the passage, are they absolutely necessary and useful to you being there? In my opinion passages are meant to be free and clear for ease of passage.
    Figuratively my approach would be to purge any thing or person(s) contributing to my brokenness. Often times the very things and people we keep around drains the life from us. While it's easier to purge the things than people just start by assessing what does each bring to your life? Is it comfort, love, happiness etc? Or is it vexation, bad vibe, discomfort or in the case of your furniture, a physical hazard?
    Also, don't be afraid to go out in the world and try new things and meet new people, from personal experience it never fails to provide me with new perspectives on life. It also shows what life can be outside of what we grew up accustomed to.
    All the best on your healing journey and please replace the bulb 💡 asap. Lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. eSAugust 28, 2022 at 3:50 PM

      I truly appreciate your feedback. I will do some shifting

      Delete
  7. Nadine Gayle LittleAugust 27, 2022 at 9:59 AM

    Totally relatable. I have been broken for years, in so many ways but giving up and succumbing to pity and sad memories are not attractive options, so I push, I fight, I go harder and use work and other things as therapy, because I do find satisfaction in them.You are absolutely correct, even in our brokenness, we can still shine.
    Some of us refuse to talk about it, some things you can't even share, but with God you can, and He has been my refuge and strength.
    He kept us, He sees, He hears ,He knows

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. eSAugust 28, 2022 at 3:52 PM

      Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending it with a mixture that often contains gold. It is often after our brokenness that we are our best selves. Take care

      Delete
  8. AnonymousAugust 27, 2022 at 10:03 AM

    Inspirational and reality and I moved by you analogies great piece.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousAugust 27, 2022 at 10:27 AM

    Great reminder for so many of us. That's a powered-up mindset. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  10. AnonymousAugust 27, 2022 at 11:01 AM

    I can relate. I reflected on my life several times while reading this post. I am encouraged.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. eSAugust 28, 2022 at 3:55 PM

      Be encouraged. If broken bulbs can still shine and broken crayons can. still colour, you will succeed.

      Delete
  11. AnonymousAugust 27, 2022 at 12:33 PM

    I am so glad I was introduced to your writing by Mrs. Little. I truly can relate and appreciate reading it. Immediately my mind when to the scriptures

    ReplyDelete
  12. eSAugust 28, 2022 at 3:53 PM

    Each one tells one. That is how we help each other.

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousJanuary 23, 2023 at 7:29 PM

    Oh yes!! Let’s keep shining amidst the challenges ❤️❤️

    ReplyDelete
  14. AnonymousFebruary 24, 2026 at 1:10 PM

    This is great! Thanks for the reminder that even in my brokenness I can still shine.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dead Lef

-
Image
  My father was not a rich man by economic standards, but he was so wealthy that he was able to leave behind a legacy for thousands of people. He left me a wealth of wisdom, a wealth of knowledge and a wealth of strength. Most importantly, he left a wealthy mark on this earth. My father died 6 days shy of his 73rd birthday. His maker saw it fit to take him then. Daddy probably wouldn’t have wanted to celebrate his birthday either way as he wasn’t much of a celebratory person.  This morning, I took my car to the car wash. I expressed gratitude to the car wash operator for his support at my father’s funeral. He exclaimed, “Me nuh usually go a funeral enuh, but me did even affi get a jacket fi go a Mr. Walker funeral. Him was a great man.” As I walked away, tears welled up in my eyes. I thought to myself - my father has left behind a great legacy! I began walking away and as I stepped out on the main road, someone stopped to offer me a ride. I declined and offered that I ne...
Read more

The Day My Father Died

-
Image
When I was a little girl, we had a mini concert at Sunday School. I remember Andrew D said a poem called “The Day My Father Died.” The only verse that I remember to this day is the one that says, “The day my father died, I could not cry; My mother cried, Not I.” I didn’t even know it was a poem at that time. I thought Andrew was just sharing his hatred for his father. In my childhood mind I thought Andrew was heartless and cold. How could you not cry if your father died?  But I must say, it wasn’t Andrew’s poem that took the cake that Sunday; it was the song that my brother and I sang. We sang “Metric Fever.” For those of you who are old enough to remember, some years ago Jamaica launched a campaign to go all metric The campaign included a viral song called “Metric Fever.” When my brother and I realized, having seen the reactions of our Sunday School teachers, that “Metric Fever” was not an appropriate song for Sunday School, we began deejaying “God, God, God…….” The thought of...
Read more

Who am I?

-
Image
  Babynames.com says my name means sweet, pleasant and is of Persian origin. I think my name is kinda boring so I want to be more than my name. I don’t like being called Sher. I tolerate it from some people but I’m not particularly fond of it. My mother said she had a cat named Sher or knew a cat named Sher (not sure which) so that makes it even worse. But who am I? Depending on who you are, where I am and what I am doing, I wear a different hat. Each hat is me. These hats are the roles I play in this journey called life. No one hat defines me. Who I am is inconclusive even with all hats on. I am still evolving. I am still growing. I am still changing and adapting and I dare say adopting.   I wear many hats. Sometimes I wear too many (depending on how I feel) and other times not enough (based on my thoughts). I don’t like ambiguities and I hate to be misunderstood or misinterpreted. From I was about 13/14 I started writing my first novel (that sounds like I have about ...
Read more