"Mommy, I have a surprise for you" he sputtered in between gasps for air due to the speed at which he ran to share this news. 

"Hurry and come see what I got for you!"

Knowing my 8 year old, the possibilities ranged from a baby snake to a dead insect. I wasn't sure what I would encounter as I followed him into the kitchen.

When I saw the hydrangea bouquet sitting on the counter, I knew this was the very thing he was excited to show me. I gave my biggest mom gasp and clasped my hand to my chest in complete astonishment at the beautiful arrangement in front of me, knowing he was expecting nothing less.

"I used the chair and climbed to reach the vase on the top of the cabinet" he explained as I noticed a single dining chair, out of place in the middle of the kitchen.

"But mommy, the stem broke when I was carrying it inside so I had to use tape to hold it together."

When I heard him say those words, I noticed the limp limb, bending awkwardly over the side of the glass vase. I then saw a tiny section that was taped by little fingers, eager to hold the beautiful flower together. Eager to make the flower beautiful for his mom. Eager to bring to her his very best.

I often feel like the stem of the hydrangea that my sweet little boy brought to me as a beautiful surprise. I feel that what I am bringing to the Lord is broken and much less than perfect. How can I present myself to my Heavenly Father to be used by Him to bring glory to His kingdom, when I can't even stand up straight? How can I do earthly good that will matter for all eternity when my own two feet can hardly hold my withered, broken, bruised and battered heart? 

Maybe I can't. But you see, God can. God is the endless roll of tape, to put it simply. The roll of tape that NEVER runs out. He takes my broken stem and ever so gently, places tape around the broken parts so that I can stand once more. I may not stand perfectly, but I am together and that is all I need. 

Psalm 147:3 says, "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."

Just as my son bound the broken stem to present it to me, so will the Lord bind my wounds so that I can bring forth my best for Him. It's not always easy to remember that God longs for my heart, broken as it may be. He desires ME! All of me. He tells me to come as I am and He will do the rest. That's where today finds me. My stem is cracked. It is not fully severed, but it is in need of binding and I serve a Savior who tells me I am healed and bound and that has made all the difference in the world. 

Blessings,