Stained Glass Lives
The Beauty That Emerges When Nothing Is Wasted
Stained glass windows are made from broken fragments of glass—
cut,
reshaped,
and rearranged
to tell a story.
They are not beautiful despite the breaks.
They are beautiful because light has learned where to pass through.
That image keeps returning to me—especially when we’re tempted to look back on our lives and mentally edit the story.
If only that chapter hadn’t happened.
If only I had chosen differently.
If only I could remove the painful parts and keep the rest.
But that’s not how beauty works.
And it’s not how redemption works.
God Works With the Whole Story
Scripture gives us a steady anchor here:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.” (Romans 8:28)
All things.
Not just the polished chapters.
Not just the faithful seasons.
Not just the moments that make sense.
God doesn’t deny the fractures.
He gathers them.
Our Abba Father is not surprised by your story.
He is not scrambling to fix it.
He is patiently assembling it—piece by piece—with a wisdom that sees the end from the beginning.
Regret Is Not the Final Interpreter
I once wrote:
It takes all the chapters to make the whole story. Don’t let regret—could’ve, would’ve, or should’ve—tarnish the beauty of your life.
Regret isolates a moment
and calls it the truth.
Love integrates the moment
and calls it meaning.
“You couldn’t relive your life, skipping the awful parts, without losing what made it worthwhile.” Stewart O'Nan
Skipping the broken pieces doesn’t create beauty.
It removes it.
The Light Was Always Part of the Design
Stained glass doesn’t shine by fixing the cracks.
It shines by surrendering to the light.
And so do we.
Scripture reminds us that God is not improvising with our lives:
“All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:16)
This doesn’t mean every chapter was easy.
It means every chapter was known.
Held.
Accounted for.
Your life—every color, every fragment—belongs.
And in the hands of a good Father,
nothing is wasted.
Reflection
What chapter of your story have you been tempted to disown?
Where might light be waiting to pass through what you once called broken?
What would it look like to trust God with the whole story—not just the parts you prefer?
Prayer