It isn’t safe throwing out paper with
personal information these days especially with the rise in identity
theft. Most people want to destroy that
information somehow and the easiest way is with a shredder. While the first shredders used long ribbon
cuts, eventually this was found to be insecure as they could be put back
together. Today, you can buy cheap $25
cross cut shredders that are far more secure.
Sometimes it feels like we’ve been through a shredder ourselves, with
our lives being shredded into pieces. Shattered, shredded, broken, torn up, crushed,
ripped apart, worn out, pieces of our lives that we can’t put back together
like Humpty Dumpty that fell from the wall.
In my life there have been many times a
dream, a hope, a promise, a situation, a relationship, my work or my feelings
have been shredded by life or words or actions of people. It is painful to go through, but often a part
of life most of us experience. “You’re
the stupidest person on earth,” “You’ll never amount to anything,” “You can
never bear children,” “I don’t love you anymore,” “You can’t be a pilot,” “It’s
cancer.” Devastating, things we hear can
tear us apart from deep inside of us, and what do we do?
My first reaction was usually to
withdraw and build walls of protection around me so that I couldn’t be hurt
again. That isolation felt better than
the vulnerability of remaining open to others.
My reaction didn’t change much as a Christian except that for a short
period I would cry unto God to help me… but once that help failed to appear in
the way I desired, I turned my back
on Him which made my situations much worse.
It’s too bad I didn’t completely trust Him in the midst of my
troubles. It would have been so much
easier to get through it. See, Jesus
understands so He can help us. He tells
us to come to Him.
For we have not an
high priest which cannot be touched with
the feeling of (affected with the same feeling, sympathize with, have
compassion on) our infirmities (weaknesses,
frailties); but was in all points tempted
(tried, tested) like as we are, yet
without sin. Hb. 4:15 KJV
Come to Me all you who labor
(tired, weary) and are heavy laden
(burdened, loaded down), and I will give you rest. Mt. 11:28
And Jesus Himself was tried, tortured
and tormented for us, for our sins, for our salvation (Mt. 26:47-27:50). In fact, we can read many sites online about Roman scourging/
flogging and see how the leather whips with bone and metal often shredded the
backs of the convicted. Jesus was physically
shredded for us, for our healing: spirit, soul (mind, emotions) and body. It is good to know that when our lives are
shredded we can go to the One whose back was shredded for us for He will be with us through it all.
…And when he had
scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be
crucified. Mt. 27:26
Surely He has borne
our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten of
God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the
chastisement of our peace was on Him;
and
with His stripes we ourselves are healed.
Is.
53:4,5 (also 1Pt. 2:24 )