Sometimes this happens in life, and, from pains suffered before, we know that this pain too shall pass away.

Yet, ironically, it feels almost good to hurt because somewhere we've been told we deserve this; this crushed hope is all we're worth. We don't deserve happiness because we're nothing.

And, in a sense, of ourselves we are nothing, but God makes us something.

It's a thin line we walk between nothing and something. Satan, in his rage to destroy us, strips that thin line bare, and we fall crashing into a heap of nothing.

Then God, in all His magnificent glory and power, reaches down to lift us out of our nothingness. He carefully, lovingly and mercifully pieces our life back together piece by piece, brick by brick, until we are once again something by His hand.

It isn't easy, because as the pieces are cleaned off it hurts, and it hurts even beyond hurt. But He restores hope, and therein lies our strength.

In Psalm 27:7-8 (Moffatt translation) David says, "O thou Eternal, listen to my cry, be gracious to me, answer me. `Tis my heart calling, `Thy face do I seek.'"

Then in Psalm 28:6-7 he says, "Blessed be the Eternal, who has listened to my voice of pleading! The Eternal is my strength and shield, my heart has faith in Him; so I am helped, my heart exults, and I sing to his praise."

You will sing again. You will be strong again, for the mortar God uses to put us back together is the mortar of love, joy, hope and strength. Then, when your life is once again pieced together and rebuilt, you will be a fortress: a masterpiece by God. GN