My sister-in-law Roberta is an exceptionally gifted artist. I call her “The Master of Disaster” because on more than one occasion she’s rescued me from home-decorating projects turned bad. A couple of months ago Roberta stored some of her art supplies in our garage. Due to an upcoming project, on Sunday after church, we set out to pull some of those materials out. While we were rummaging through boxes and garage “stuff”, Roberta stumbled upon an old mirror that I had purchased years ago at a garage sale. It was an old antique with an embellished intricate carved wood frame with a beautiful beveled glass mirror. Unfortunately, some heavy items had been carelessly tossed on top of it and the glass was completely shattered. The wooden frame was also cracked and broken in multiple spots. Roberta gently started to pull the pieces out one by one.

“What do you want to do with this?” she asked

“Get rid of it.” I told her. “It’s not salvageable.”

“What if God said that about you?” she quietly asked me.

Then she skillfully began to reconstruct the antique mirror piece by piece. When she was done I was humbled. I was wrong. It was salvageable.

And so it is with us, and God. The quality of our spiritual sight depends upon our knowledge of how God sees us. I want to see what “the God who calls things that are not as though they were” sees. I like the lens of Romans 8. It says that when God looks at me He is pleased because He sees every one of His righteous requirements fully met because of the finished work of Christ. He does not see a condemned sinner but rather His ransomed daughter who has been declared “Righteous” and “Not Guilty”. When God looks at me He does not see a woman fumbling about in her own weaknesses but rather He sees a woman living and walking under the influence of – and in the power of the Holy Spirit. He does not see a mind tossed here and there by every wind and wave of doctrine. Rather, He sees a new mind that is set on what the Spirit desires. He sees me as a daughter, alive with Christ, sharing not just in the sufferings of His Son, but also in His glory.

Now, tell me…doesn’t that give you faith to believe in the power of God to redeem and restore anything in your life that been broken, shattered, severed, or nearly destroyed?