Beauty in the broken. Fragments in the frame. A tapestry of glass.
Whether in a French cathedral, an English castle, or a church in our home city, when light passes through a stained-glass window into a room, it brightens every space with a glorious glow. There’s beauty in the broken shards when intricate stories are crafted into a masterpiece. It reminds us of the way God can shine His Light—even through the mosaic of our monstrous messes.
“Going through the motions doesn’t please you,
a flawless performance is nothing to you.
I learned God-worship
when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love
don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.”
Psalm 51:16-17 (MSG)
This broken and shattered heart? It can be a painful yet positive thing, friend. It’s the result of true humility. Humility that comes not in the striving but as an unassuming by-product to one whose heart is pure and right and in tune with God.
One whose heart is broken in all the right places.
Broken for the things that matter to Him.
My latest romantic suspense novel, Captured in Frame, is a story of forgiveness, healing, and hope for photographer and perfectionist, Georgia Brooks. Inside an ancient church in the English village of Bramble Downs, stained-glass windows remind Georgia that God delights in making beauty from the broken.
“Her whole adult life she attempted to capture beauty through the lens of her camera. Nature, weddings, cities, babies. Even in fragile imperfections. It filled her with joy. Maybe God found joy in the beauty of her brokenness.”
It isn’t until Georgia’s heart is shattered and she is unable to put all the pieces back together again that she begins to embrace the truth that God doesn’t demand perfection. Instead, He gathers the pieces of her pain and creates a glorious story—His story.
For all of us, when the ugly shards of our prideful pieces fall away, God’s light and beauty is able to shine through our humble hearts brighter, for His glory.
Like the fragments in the frame of a stained-glass window, God uses our ordinary, heart-shattered lives in extraordinary, beautiful ways.
A published, award-winning Christian author, Laura Thomas writes heartwarming encouragement for your soul—especially in her numerous romantic suspense novels, as well as her teen fiction, marriage, and children’s books. Laura is a hope*writers certified writing coach, a book-loving chocoholic mom and nanny, and is married to her high school sweetheart. Originally from the UK, they now live the empty nest life in Kelowna, British Columbia, with their French bulldog!
Find all her books, blog, bio, and writing coaching, and sign up for her free monthly newsletter at: www.laurathomasauthor.com
In an idyllic village nestled in the English countryside, photographer Georgia Brooks is desperate to begin a new chapter in her life. Bramble Cottage was supposed to give her space to heal and hope again after suffering betrayal and rejection by the only man she ever loved. This was Georgia’s chance to rekindle her faith and reconnect with her sisters in a place that held sweet childhood memories—not expose herself to the ugly underbelly of the art world and put her family in danger.
Local pediatric surgeon, Doctor William Hughes, is captivated by the Canadian beauty with a camera over one shoulder and the weight of the world on the other. After suffering his own tragic loss and balancing a demanding career with raising a toddler, he recognizes the heaviness of grief . . . and the burden of guilt.
When Georgia discovers she could be in possession of incriminating evidence to frame a criminal ring, she needs to trust someone. She chooses Will. Postcards, photographs, paintings—something about Bramble Cottage is worth killing for. Can Georgia uncover the truth in time?
