Shattered Self.

Thursday, May 19, 2011
Shattered Self. Last night was a particularly special night for me with our student ministry. Occasionally you have a Wednesday night that God uses in a pretty powerful way to touch your heart. Last night was such a night for me.
My message last night for our students was about “Steps to Selfish Destruction.” We dug into the book of Esther, and looked at chapter six which is all about Haman and Mordecai. Haman hated Mordecai, and it all stemmed from Mordecai’s refusal to bow to anyone but God. Haman got angry, and decided within his heart that he would destroy Mordecai. He was so intent on this that he even had a gallows built specifically to hang Mordecai on. The reason: Haman was selfish at the core of who he was.
You can read the story for yourself, but the bottom line is that God ended up rewarding Mordecai and He used Haman to do it. Haman was humiliated, and ultimately lost his life at the very gallows he had commissioned built to hang Mordecai on. Mordecai lived, and was blessed of God, along with the rest of the People of God in the nation. Selfishness was Haman’s demise.
So last night I had tables at the back of our meeting room with plates and markers set out. We had worship, and I delivered my message. At the end of the message I issued a challenge. I asked each student to spend a moment praying, and ask God to reveal to them the most selfish area of their lives. We sang, “Amazing Grace, My Chains Are Gone” for the response time. And during that time I told them to go get a plate once they’d heard from God. On the front side I asked them to write “Selfish.” On the back side I asked them to write that thing that God had revealed to them from their lives that was selfish. I told them to bring the plate back to their seat with them, and continue to worship.
When everyone had returned to their seat with the plate, I explained the next step. Across the front of the room were hammers laying on the floor. I asked each student to look at the back of their plate and give that area of selfishness to God right then. Once they’d done that, I asked them to come up and break that plate with a hammer, signifying that their selfishness had been broken by Christ.
When a room full of students start breaking plates with hammers you would think it would be chaos, but not last night. These students (and their leaders) were reverent and silent as they laid their broken selfishness at the feet of Christ. One by one they came and shattered their life of self at the front of the room. The only sounds you could hear were those of plates being broken. But if you listened close enough as I did, I’m positive you could hear something more – I heard lives being put back together in a way that shows the world Jesus.
We’re going to use the broken pieces for a mosaic work in the shape of a cross to hang in our room. It will be a challenge for me, because I’m not very artistic. But the work will be worth it, because every time these awesome students see this hanging on the wall they’ll remember: from my brokenness comes something beautiful when God is in charge.

That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake

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