Bent, Not Broken

The wind blew through Georgia's hair as she and her uncle paddled their canoe among the reeds that filled the marshes near her new home. She didn't feel like paddling. Her mom had died of cancer four months before, and now she and her little brother were living far from home with Uncle Steve. The bayou, as Uncle Steve called it, looked like a swamp--nothing like Georgia's home in Michigan.Georgia watched the marsh reeds bend under the force of the strong wind and muttered, "I know how you feel." "What did you say, Georgia?" asked Uncle Steve, who had been doing more than his fair share of paddling for the last half mile."Oh, nothing. I was just thinking how those reeds and I have a lot in common." Georgia sighed."How so?" asked Uncle Steve."Well, they get blown around wherever the wind wants. They don't get any say in what happens to them." She sighed again. "Just like me.""You know, Georgia, I think you're right. You do have a lot in common with these reeds. But not in the way you think. Look a little closer," urged Uncle Steve as he paddled them over to the reeds. "What do you notice?"Georgia studied the cluster of reeds. It was true that the wind blew them around, sometimes switching directions abruptly. But no matter how hard the wind blew, the reeds just bent over and popped back up. "They aren't breaking," observed Georgia. "As soon as the wind stops, they straighten back up again. But that's not like me at all. I feel like I'll never pop back up."Uncle Steve stopped paddling. "There's a verse in Isaiah that says, 'A bruised reed He will not break.' Georgia, no matter how much the hardships of this life may bend you, you can hang on to the promise that you don't have to break because God loves you and offers you grace, peace, and hope. He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for your sins so that you could have the promise of eternal life and never have to face life's troubles alone. In times when it seems like you'll never pop back up, trust Him to hold you up so you won't break--just like these reeds." –Laura Kuehn