“Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what He has made crooked?” – Ecclesiastes 7:13 (NIV)
At my house growing up, I never wanted the broken cookies from the bottom of the jar. My younger brother and I had to be desperate before we’d eat them.
But one of our older brothers held a different view. He actually liked them, because they were better for milk dipping. “They taste just as good as the unbroken ones,” he said.
Have you ever felt like a broken cookie?
A person’s strength is often their biggest weakness
Jocko Willink
BINGO. I resemble that remark.
I tried to look up “broken cookies” in my Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Nope, it’s not in there. Neither is “smashed snickerdoodles.”
I did find some interesting stuff about broken pottery, though. I bet you already know the story, but here’s Jeremiah at the Potter’s house.
“So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. ” – Jeremiah 18:3-4 (NIV)
Then the Lord explains the parable: “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel” Jeremiah 18:6 (NIV)
God likes to re-purpose broken things
Someone once said of the legendary football coach Bo Schembechler, “He can take his team and beat yours, or your team and beat his.”
When God reaches into the jar for another “cookie” does it matter all that much who he chooses? He can win with anybody!
But the creator of the universe doesn’t care too much for whining.
“Does a clay pot dare argue with its maker, a pot that is like all the others? Does the clay ask the potter what he is doing? Does the pot complain that its maker has no skill?” – Isaiah 45:9 (GNT)
We ALL have our flaws. Stop taking yourself so dang seriously!
That last sentence is me talking to myself, of course. 😇
Fixating on our faults—despite God’s best intentions—is like shaking a fist in His face.
And it’s not such a bright idea to argue with The Boss.
Because…
“God can strike a straight lick with a crooked stick.”
L.R. Scarborough
Photo by Tijana Drndarski on Pexels.com
Davids Daily Dose 
Comments
29 responses to “Broken Cookies”
Thanks, Tina. I like how God spoke to you through the broken pottery. He is indeed in the repair business. Another commenter talked about a kind of Japanese pottery where the cracks are gilded with gold. I forget what it’s called. Anyway, God does that for us too.
Thank you for sharing! Blessings.
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Mmmm. Snickerdoodles. That one was your fault. 🤣😂🤣 I can be serious, but you had to go and mention cookies.
Okay, here’s the serious bit. The serious cookie bits. Okay, now here’s the real serious bit.
That broken pottery verse really speaks to me. Once when I was going through a really tough time God spoke to me through the pieces of broken pottery. My husband and I had our own ceramics business for 14 years. One day Andrew came in with a box of our pottery. It was in pieces. He’d tripped on the way into our apartment. Oddly, I laughed. Atleast my husband must have thought it was an odd reaction. But God was reinforcing that He was going to put the pieces back together. I had been listening to Mathew West’s song “All the broken pieces” over and over for days before Andrew brought those boxes in. So it just hit me in a joyful way that God was reassuring me that He would turn those broken pieces of my life into something beautiful. It’s a really good reminder to me now as I continue to struggle with some areas of my life. A reassuring reminder that God is always working and those pieces can still be put back in place and God can make of me what He sees fit to make me. ❤
Thanks for sharing, David. Enjoy your cookies 🍪 🍪 🍪 🙂
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Thanks, Pete. It’s me too!
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Love the last quote! Yep that’s me a crooked stick but in God’s hands. Thanks!
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I’m familiar with the song you mentioned, Beth! We sang it in children’s choir back in the day. It is a welcome thought to know that God is still working on us.
Thank you for reading and commenting.
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Excellent post David! I laughed out loud when I read, “I tried to look up “broken cookies” in my Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Nope, it’s not in there. Neither is “smashed snickerdoodles.” So very grateful the Lord doesn’t toss this “smashed snickerdoodle.” Our pastor often references a song called “He’s still working on me.” The last stanza goes, “In the mirror of His word/ Reflections that I see/ Makes me wonder why He never gave up on me/ But He loves me as I am and helps me when I pray/ Remember He’s the potter; I’m the clay”
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Oh thank you so much–He’s my favorite subject 🙂
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Thanks, Brenda. I promise not to look down my nose at myself either. Blessings. 🙏
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🙂 🙂 🙂 I absolutely love this post 🙂 Thanks for the encouragement 🙂 I will not look down at my nose at me 🙂
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Amen. God is not disabled by our disabilities. Thank you for sharing!
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Awesome, Chris. Thanks for your input.
You summarized my thoughts using far fewer words!
I look forward to your post tomorrow.
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Yes, Manette! We can rest in His hands, because we are HIS work. I appreciate your thoughts. Blessings.
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Jeremiah’s potter story/parable is one of my favorites. There is extreme comfort in knowing that the Potter, Creator of everything, is molding and shaping me. I can rest in the work of HIS hands–no striving, no stress.
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It’s true that a person’s strength is often born out of their weakness. God uses our faults, failures, brokenness, cracks and short comings as qualifiers to reach others who are broken. As the pottery, or broken cookie at the bottom, we often disqualify ourselves or think we’re not as valuable to Him as the whole ones. The truth is that there is no wholeness without Him and no matter how broken or whole we are, His fingerprints are all over our lives adding value to us.
I think I’m going to continue in this same vane tomorrow with my Throwback Thursday. Thanks!
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This is such an encouraging post. God isn’t put off by our brokenness. He isn’t disabled by it. He specialises in taking broken things and making them new and beautiful.
… And I always liked the broken cookies better, too 🙂
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Thank you. The comments really help fill in the holes. I appreciate my fellow bloggers! Blessings.
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Excellent post, David! I have nothing to contribute as the above comments are really good as well!
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I’m not surprised you are a broken cookie eater, Gary. 😀
I hear you in the repurposing part. I’d say I’m at four or five times. God is good!
Blessings. Thank you for stopping in this morning.
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Thank you for sharing! Feel free to jabber about Jesus all you want! Blessings.
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This post is excellent. I’m very grateful and more confident now that God didn’t call me (or make me) to be perfect. Christ will finish and perfect my faith and work, the Holy Spirit is busily transforming me “from glory to glory”–even though it seems a slow process. So I don’t complain as much about my flaws and foibles as I used to–much less stressful. I just do my best to lean in close and listen when the Lord is speaking, and then promptly obey.
I’m especially glad and grateful that the glowing part of getting older, is that practicing my faith is getting easier–and the comfort and JOY are indescribable. The song, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”–actually means something personal now, not just words. Sorry to jabber so much–hard not to talk about everything Jesus. 😊 Huge blessings to you!
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I think I am on about my 8th repurposing in life David. God does reuse us after some reconditioning or during. Love the quotes, so true. I used to take the broken cookies and crumbs and dump them into a glass of milk, add some ice cream and I had a cookie shake. Dad would laugh and siblings would cry foul.
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Amen! Pieced together and restored again and again.
I’ve heard of the style of Japanese pottery you described. What a great addition to this story! I appreciate your reading and commenting. Your thoughts are valuable! Blessings.
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Exactly, Betty. Whole or broken—strong or weak—God can use all of us “cookies.”
Knowing my older brother, he was also using a little psychology on his little brothers. “Oh, you don’t want the broken cookies. Well I do!”
Blessings to you and Dan. Thank you for your encouraging perspective!
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I definitely resonate with the broken cookie reference. As many times as I have felt shattered and broken, my faith in God is what heals me. Unconditionally loved in His eyes and I know I will be alright. This post also reminded me of the Japanese art of Kintsugi which is when pieces of pottery are fused back together with gold… built upon the idea that in embracing flaws and imperfections, you can create an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art. We are God’s work of art and through his love and light we are soddered whole, restored again and again💗🙏😊
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I love this post, David. Your point about our “strengths can become our biggest weakness” made me wonder the flip side – if our “weaknesses become our strengths.” Or perhaps this is the point of your post. I do know that our “troubles” can certainly give us compassion for others, and our trials can certainly make us stronger and more faithful.
One thing I do not know – how broken cookies can be better for dipping. I do admire your brother’s positive and practical outlook – broken cookies do taste the same!
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Thank you, brother! I’m glad God uses broken biscuits. Apart from Him, none of us would be whole. I appreciate you! God Bless.
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Thank you for your thoughts, CG. Your perspective is a wonderful finishing thought to my post! Our job is to stay on the wheel and let God continue to shape us into a vessel of His choosing. Blessings.
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When I read the Jeremiah passage I think of God’s hand pressing on my life, gently shaping me — smoothing out my imperfections to shape me into a vessel for His purposes. Sometimes I resist the pressure and complain, but he continues to mold me. Thanks for this convicting post.
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You are definitely in my area of expertise today David, not Strong’s Concordance…biscuits and tea!😄
I can definitely relate to being a broken biscuit at the bottom of the barrel/jar, but Hallelujah my Father God can do marvellous things with broken biscuits!
Thank you for this upbeat encouragement brother, may the LORD bless you richly today.
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