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Jan 30, 2026 06:00am

Broken but Redeemed

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I had it all planned out.

In my mind, I knew exactly how I would design it and build it.

Our assignment was to build a diorama. We were learning about dinosaurs, and I loved dinosaurs. This was going to be the best display ever.

From my imagination to the creation, I molded each dinosaur out of clay. My mom used to make little ornaments out of clay, so we were familiar with using and shaping it.

I used an old box, covered the walls with pages and pieces cut out of magazines, and began piecing it all together. From the tall trees, to the lake for drinking water, the volcano with lava spilling from the top, to the long-necked dinosaur reaching up to bite a tree—my diorama was sure to be the best. In my mind, it was perfect.

I had it ready days before the deadline so the clay could dry properly. I wanted it to be solid for transportation to school.

Because I rode the bus.

The morning the assignment was due, I grabbed some extra supplies, my backpack, and the diorama and headed to the bus stop.

We were among the first kids on the bus, which meant a long, bumpy ride through the dirt roads of Cord and Charlotte.

When we arrived at school, Mrs. Annette opened the door, and I quickly checked my project. Amazingly, everything had stayed together.

I entered our sixth-grade classroom, found a spot on the table for my creation, and stepped back to admire it. There were other great projects, no doubt, but mine had been created entirely by hand.

After recess, I came back in and looked over the displays again when I noticed something wrong. My brachiosaurus’ neck had snapped, and his head lay inside the box.

Something had happened. Someone must have bumped into it or knocked the table. But I was ready.

I ran to my backpack, unzipped the front pouch, and pulled out the extra supplies I had brought from home—extra clay and my sister’s press-on nail glue. We didn’t have super glue, but it worked just fine.

I added glue to the break, reattached the head, and wrapped it with fresh clay. You could tell it had been broken. But I thought to myself, these are dinosaurs. They’ve been in a fight or two. This was real life.

Ephesians 1:3–4 says:
“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes.”

I know what you’re thinking—what does a dinosaur diorama have to do with this Scripture?

When I read these verses, that memory immediately came to mind. God created everything with His own hands. He knew exactly how He wanted to design it, and He did. He looked at His creation and declared it good. On the seventh day, God rested. It was perfect.

Until the day Satan tempted Adam and Eve, and they disobeyed God by eating from the forbidden tree.

Sin entered the world.

But God didn’t leave it there.

He was prepared. He sacrificed an animal and covered Adam and Eve. And He promised that One would come to crush the enemy and redeem mankind.

This did not surprise God. He had prepared from the very beginning. He already knew you before He created you—and He loved you.

Sometimes it’s hard to grasp the magnitude of God’s power and wisdom. And that’s okay. If we could fully understand Him, He wouldn’t truly be God.

How incredible it is that the Creator of all things knew us before we were born and still chose to love us, knowing we would sin.

I was saved because of God’s work, not my own. My salvation comes through the blood of Christ and His death on the cross. This beautiful gift was offered freely to me—and it’s offered freely to you.

Even though I’ve been redeemed, I still carry scars from the brokenness my sin caused. But that’s real life. And God uses those broken places to display His power and bring glory to Himself.

Last night, we sang a song called Testimony, and the lyrics said:
“I am a living, breathing, walking testimony.
I am the living proof of what the Lord has done.”

What has the Lord done in your life? What is your redemption story? How has He shaped and molded you into His image?

And if you’ve never trusted the Lord to redeem your life, now is the time. Visit follow.lifeword.org to learn more.