And after you suffer for a short time, God, who gives all grace, will make everything right. He will make you strong and support you and keep you from falling.

He called you to share in his glory in Christ, a glory that will continue forever. 

 1 Peter 5:10 (NCV)

Sometimes life has a way of breaking us. It leaves us cracked on a good day, shattered on a bad one. All those cracks are hard to hide from the world, but oh how we fight to keep them hidden. Some of our brokenness comes from other people. Some is  the result of circumstances such as tragedy, loss, or abuse. Some is the result of our own habitually negative thinking. And some of those heart cracks are the result of our own actions—choices that took us down a dark path, away from God, and left us a long way from healthy and whole.  

You may think you are too broken, have too many wounds, or that there’s just too much damage to be part of God’s family. But that’s all a lie. You can always and forever go to Jesus, just as you are. He has wounds, too. And when you embrace those wounds and what He did for you, He will wash yours clean away. When you lay your brokenness and shattered parts right at His feet, He will heal your heart and make it beautiful. 

Suffering is temporary, and it takes on a whole new perspective in the light of eternity. It produces patience and character and hope. Hope that reminds you that suffering will end, but Jesus never will! He is refining you, perfecting you, and He will never waste your suffering, your sorrow, or your story. He will make everything right and make your heart whole. It’s a promise! You are loved! 

We also have joy with our troubles, because we know that these troubles produce patience.

And patience produces character, and character produces hope.

Romans 5:3-4 (NCV)