My Bible was open to Psalm 139 on the kitchen table.  My good friend, Kelly, and I had decided to have our homeschool class memorize it for this month’s memory work.  Just before I stepped away, verse 1 caught my attention: “Oh Lord, you have searched me and you KNOW me.”

I have read this verse countless times, but this time it grabbed my heart.  God KNOWS me.   And I’m hard to get to know!  He knows all about me: my brokenness, my shame, my failures and even just my personality.

Verse 3 ends with, “You are familiar with ALL my ways.  Oh my!  My crazy, dysfunctional ways!  He’s aware of my wrong attitudes and ALL the ways I struggle.

Ann Voskamp in her book The Broken Way states, “Jesus is the most attracted to the busted and sees the broken as the most beautiful.”

Wow.  I must be absolutely irresistible to Him!  Hah!

I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately.  Jesus is attracted to my weaknesses.  He is drawn to my broken places.

A while back Eddie and I got a phone call summoning us to the principal’s office at our son’s school.  We had no information other than it was serious and we needed to come asap.

Talk about a stomach dropping feeling!

We arrived to find Cory sitting with 2 administrators.  The atmosphere was very solemn and we braced ourselves for the impact of what had transpired.  Through his tears, Cory shared his heart.

I sat there fighting all the emotions of sadness, anger and shock.  Finally, Ed asked if we could speak with Cory alone.  As the administrators left the room, I wondered how Ed was going to let him have it.

Slowly… Eddie got up from his chair beside me, crossing the room to our son.  Cory was looking down, unable to look his father in the eye. Ed quietly knelt down beside his chair, placing his hand on Cory’s shoulder.

“Son. I love you so very much. Nothing you do will EVER change that. Your mom and I will walk beside you through this. NOTHING can change how much we love you.”

Cory was undone.  (And so was his mom!)

His brokenness and repentance drew us to him.  Because of his heart, the administrators were more than willing to work with him.  Because of his humility, we were ready to do whatever it took to restore him.

Ed literally acted out what Christ does in our lives.  Jesus comes alongside us in our hurts and offers his unconditional love.   He reaches out to our broken places offering hope and help, restoration and reconciliation.

Voskamp goes on to say, “What seems to be undoing you can ultimately remake you.  What if the deeper you know your own brokenness, the deeper you can experience your own belovedness.”

Cory gave me permission to share a piece of his story.  He is doing so well and our family has grown closer through the struggles.  Eddie and I are working to stay close to each of our kids; to mentor them and love them in and through their brokenness.

I wanna be more like Jesus!

… Or at least a bit more like Ed!  Hah.  …Maybe that can be my new motto:  What Would Eddie Do?!  #WWED