Vital Signs: Saturday, May 30, 2026

The Junk Yard

What if the grief, disappointments, rejections, and pain in our lives were viewed as broken, rusty pieces, and all those pieces get thrown into our life’s junk yard? We think we have failed, so we throw that idea away and believe the critics. Someone throws away our relationship with them. We get hurt in church and swear we’ll never go back again. Loved ones die and dreams die.

And in a world with so many technological “advancements,” the one thing we don’t seem to have, even if we wanted to fix something, is the time to fix our hearts, our world. Can you look in your rearview mirror at a junk yard of your life? Would you like to see a beautiful green and flowering field instead?

Jesus says: “Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.’” — Revelation 21:5 (NKJV)

Jesus can recycle our pain and our hurts into something that helps someone else, somewhere else. We may never know how the broken pieces of our lives could be refined to help anyone, or bring any glory to God. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. Jesus can take the broken pieces and refurbish them and then hand them back to us. Jesus can take our rusted-out hopes that refuse to feel anymore or love anyone, and sand them down, smooth them out, give them a new paint job, and hand those hopes right back—better than new. Way better than before.

Jesus can. But we have to let Him into our junk yards of shame and anger and grief. We have to hand Him the broken pieces, and then we get to watch as one by one, He makes them new.

Got junk? We all do. Please don’t let it just sit there. (Deborah Smith)

Lord, thank You that You don't look away from the broken, rusty, and discarded pieces of our lives. We hand over the junk yard of our past disappointments, hurts, and grief to You today. Come into those quiet places of shame and pain, refine them by Your grace, and rebuild them into something beautiful for Your glory. Thank You for making all things new. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Team Wade loves you and there’s nothing you can do about it ❤️👊