Collecting teapots is my pleasure. Anyone who knows me can attest to that. So when my friend began her spring cleaning and came across an old teapot, naturally she thought of me. "I'm embarrassed to offer you this broken teapot, but it's yours if you want it," she said.

I didn't think about it twice. Though it was flawed, I loved it. What a blessing! Adorned with a red rose pattern and golden spout, it looked nothing less than regal. I knew just the place for it. I decided not to mend the handle. Its beauty did not depend on it. Even though it was no longer functional for serving tea, I treasured it just the same.

I transformed the teapot into a vase with a small bouquet of red and yellow roses. The teapot that was once damaged, deemed useless, destined for the trash is now wonderfully adorning a shelf in my home -- a valued gift in my eyes.

Certain circumstances in life have jarred us, causing cracks and mars. The enemy of our soul loves to remind us of our flaws, our failures, our shortcomings. If we allow God to shape us and make us into the people He wants us to be and allow Him to complete His work in us, beauty and blessing will over shadow brokenness.

God sees our limitations, but knows our potential even more. He knows exactly where we belong. He has placed us on a high place. He loves us just the same -- a valued gift in His eyes.