Crash! The sound gave me a sick feeling in my stomach. There on the floor, in hundreds of pieces, was the beautiful red glass. It belonged to a set of drinking glasses, an antique family heirloom. That wasn’t the worst of it! What could be worse? Well, it wasn’t even mine.

I’d been having lunch at my dear friend Pam’s home, along with friends from Bible study. As we were clearing up the dishes, without realizing the glass was there, my arm swept over the counter and then, CRASH! I apologized profusely, knowing its significance, but in her usual grace, Pam told me not to worry about it. Although she’d dismissed the entire issue, I couldn’t. Upon returning home, I put my husband to work looking for a matching glass on the internet. We scoured multiple sites and when we found a set of four glasses that looked like they might match, we ordered them.

In the days that followed, waiting for the replacement glasses to arrive, I couldn’t get the CRASH out of my mind. It made me think back to the days teaching my children to ride a bike. We’d start out on the grass with me running next to them, helping them steer and remain upright. If they tipped over, the soft grass buffered the fall. I’d prop them back up and encourage them to give it another try.

Reflecting on those earlier years, I realized it was a picture of God. He’s a good Father who wants to be beside us as we learn to navigate through life’s challenges. He wants to teach us how to keep our lives in balance and help us succeed. If we try to do life without Him, it’s no different than putting a toddler on a bike without any assistance. It will result in a CRASH, but no matter how badly we’ve CRASHED or wandered away from the Lord, He is just a word away. All we need to do is ask Him to help us. He is the great repairer of the broken.

However, sometimes the lesson is in the broken, as in the case of the red glass. Days later, when the glasses I ordered were delivered to my doorstep, I couldn't wait to see how closely they matched. Back at Pam’s, we lined up one of the remaining glasses with the ones we ordered. They weren’t exactly the same, but pretty close. Pam was thrilled. Her glasses have another story now, and I suspect in the future, when she serves water in them, she will think of the broken glass as well as the replacements that are not quite the same.

When we allow God to heal our brokenness, we won’t be the same as before either. We will have a new story; a testimony of what God has done. For once we’ve experienced His rescue and repair, we won't view life the same. So, here’s the question: Why, why, why would anyone want to live life without God? He is right here, wanting to help guide us. He is a good, good Father who desires the best of life for each of us. He can handle life's CRASHES because it is His desire for us to prosper. Even better, He can help us avoid the CRASH altogether if we allow Him to help us navigate the complexities of life.

Psalm 145:7-9: “They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness; and shall sing of thy righteousness. The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all; and his tender mercies are over all his works” (KJV).

Nahum 1:7: “The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.” (NIV).

Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV).