By Rev. Ann Mann
annmann@comcast.net
I am being transformed by God’s love, a love that never fails. There was a post on social media that describes my life. Imagine a picture of two broken eggs, with a reminder they could not be used in the recipe until they were broken.
Just as a broken egg must be cracked to reveal the life within, our own brokenness can be the very means through which God brings forth new life and purpose. This process isn’t painless, but it is in the breaking that God’s grace begins to work.
Two years ago, my life changed forever when my husband, Kim, died of a massive brain bleed. I still suffer moments when I am completely paralyzed, moments when I am unable to think, or act.
The most recent example came the morning my grandson was being baptized. I woke up, and for a moment, I was paralyzed by grief. You see, that was also the two-year anniversary of my husband’s passing.
Knowing the day would be hard, I had invited family by birth and by marriage to be with me. The baptism and being surrounded by family were supposed to lift my spirits. Instead, I found myself in tears. I was ambushed by my grief.
In that moment, I realized that my grief was an invitation to experience God’s transforming grace in a new way. I have learned in these past two years that God’s love is always with me, even on my hardest days. Instead of retreating into myself, I cried out to God for strength. And God was faithful.
Once that moment passed, it became the joyous day I had prayed it would be. This is how God is transforming me with His love, mercy, and grace. When I don’t know how I will go on, God shows me the way. My circumstances haven’t changed, but I have learned the answer is drawing closer to God’s unfailing love when I am hurting.
This is what God’s transforming love, mercy, and grace can do. It is like what happens in our gardens all the time, when a caterpillar, often overlooked and ordinary, embarks on an incredible journey of metamorphosis to become a butterfly.
This process is neither swift nor simple; it requires a complete change in form and nature. Yet, the result is nothing short of breathtaking. This natural phenomenon is more than just a marvel; it is a powerful metaphor for the transforming love, mercy, and grace of God in our lives, a grace that not only saves but also renews and sanctifies.
The transforming power of God’s grace is a central theme in the teachings of the Apostle Paul. In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul issues a powerful call to transformation “to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2).
Paul’s words in Romans 12 have become a lifeline for me, reminding me that even in my darkest hours, God’s love, mercy and grace are at work, renewing my mind and reshaping my heart. This transformation is not a one-time event but an ongoing process.
As we reflect on Paul’s words, we are encouraged to ask ourselves: What areas of our lives need transformation? Where do we need God’s love, mercy, and grace to renew our minds, reshape our hearts, or redirect our actions?
As you navigate your own storms, may you (like me) find solace in the truth that God’s grace is not only sufficient, but abundant. I invite you to lean into that grace today, trusting that even in your brokenness, God is creating something new.
Just as the butterfly emerges from its cocoon, so too will you find new wings through God’s grace. Let your brokenness be the beginning of something beautiful as you lean into the love that never fails.
Ann Mann is an Emmy Award winning journalist, now serving as pastor to Barnesville First United Methodist Church. Her email is annmann@comcast.net.