I've stumbled over words and thoughts this morning as I've moved through my daily routine.

Reading in the Old Testament about God's love for the Israelites and His desire for them to constantly draw near to Him,

Then moving on to the book of James and reading about how our faith in God's love should compel us to love others which in turn causes God's love to be perfected in us.......

The Bible, from beginning to end, is wrapped in one overriding theme -

LOVE.

Olivia has witnessed this Bible-based emotion over and over again in the past couple of days between her friends, classmates, and teachers.

Hugs, loving words, heartfelt notes, tears......

This world began because God loved us

and

at the end of everything,

the one thing we will always have is LOVE.

If we listen closely, we can hear love whisper in unexpected moments.........

I dropped my coffee cup Saturday morning as I was getting it out of the cupboard.

Being a broken person, I always wonder what God is trying to say through broken things.

Broken things often speak to my broken heart, and I never want to miss their message........even though sometimes I'm not sure what the message is until much later.

This morning, I know there's one thing  this photograph is saying to me, and I hope you hear it too.

We are broken people living in a broken world.

Truly, everything man has created within this world is  broken too.

It's hard to hold brokenness together.

This thought alone can seem overwhelmingly frightening, depressing, and hopeless.......

but here's where God comes in to the picture.

He is the cup.

He is the holder of life.

Not just this broken life,

but the next perfect, eternal life.

Our brokenness must be placed in the shadow of Him and His love.

We just can't hold on to something that is broken.

So, in our brokenness today (and everyday we have left in this world) we have to continue to draw near to the cup that is overflowing with Him......

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name's sake.

Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

This morning, let's draw near to the cup and listen......

Romans 8:38-39

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 14:8

For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.

John 14:1-4

"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.

2 Corinthians 5:6-8

So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

Revelation 14:13

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!"

Revelation 21:1-4

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."