Broken and Beautiful
Daily Scripture
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
7 I was given a thorn in my body because of the outstanding revelations I’ve received so that I wouldn’t be conceited. It’s a messenger from Satan sent to torment me so that I wouldn’t be conceited.
8 I pleaded with the Lord three times for it to leave me alone. 9 He said to me, “My grace is enough for you, because power is made perfect in weakness.” So I’ll gladly spend my time bragging about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power can rest on me. 10 Therefore, I’m all right with weaknesses, insults, disasters, harassments, and stressful situations for the sake of Christ, because when I’m weak, then I’m strong.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Note: This week’s GPS draws on lyrics from two of the most popular songs from Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, “Golden” and “What It Sounds Like”.
Song Lyrics:
I broke into a million pieces, and I can’t go back
But now I’m seeing all the beauty in the broken glass
The scars are part of me, darkness and harmony
My voice without the lies, this is what it sounds like
Why did I cover up the colors stuck inside my head?
I should’ve let the jagged edges meet the light instead
Show me what’s underneath, I’ll find your harmony
The song we couldn’t write, this is what it sounds like*
We tend to think of our scars as the parts of us that need to be hidden before we’re presentable. Today’s song lyrics push back hard on that idea, as it gives a picture of broken glass that still catches the light, insisting the jagged edge itself can be part of what’s beautiful rather than something to hide. Paul landed in the same place, though it cost him something to get there. He begged God three times to remove whatever “thorn” was tormenting him, and God didn’t take it away. Instead, God told him grace was enough, that power actually shows up more clearly in weakness than it ever could in a polished, uncracked life. That’s a small but important difference from what the song is doing. The song says the brokenness itself is beautiful. Paul never quite gets there… he doesn’t decide his thorn is lovely. He just discovers that grace shows up loudest exactly where he’s most cracked open. The beauty isn’t in the break. It’s in what meets him there.
- What part of my story have I been hiding rather than something God might actually be using?
- Paul didn’t get his thorn removed, ; he received a different kind of strength instead. What burden or difficulty do I keep asking God to lift or remove, and how might God be using it to deepen and strengthen my faith?
Prayer
God of grace, you never promised to remove every thorn, but you promised your grace is enough. Meet me in the broken places I’d rather hide, and let your strength show up clearly in whatever is weak in me today. Amen.
GPS Insights
Taylor Gerard
This scripture will always resonate with me: 2 Corinthians 12:10, "because when I'm weak, then I'm strong." I firmly believe God has worked most beautifully and evidently through brokenness in my life. I have felt the intensity of Him shedding light on dark parts of my heart, my relationships, my mindset, and my identity. It was through belief and unreserved surrender that God's light and love shone so intensely into my life; I cannot imagine having gone any other way than to God. In fact, the majority of God's wondrous work in my life has come in the moments I felt weakest, when a situation was out of my control and surrender was the only option left.
This passage talks about His power being made perfect in weakness, and oh, I can attest to this. There have been many moments in my life, mental health struggles, isolation, stubbornness, broken relationships, when I've had to open my hands and let God take the reins, because in those moments I had no strength left to give on my own. I am forever grateful, from the bottom of my heart, for the hard seasons God shed His light on in my life. He is so gracious in this way, and He has transformed me and made me so much stronger.
There is absolute, indescribable beauty in surrendering unreservedly and allowing God to provide the strength we simply don't have. We were not made to do this on our own. We can't. We were created by a sovereign God who loves us and will never let our feet stumble (Psalm 121:3). In my life, some of my darkest places are exactly where He has met me, and where He has turned me back toward Him, not just to pick me back up, but to help me soar.
"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31). It's always so perspective-giving to reflect on the ways God has shown up when I couldn't. How different would my life be if it weren't for all He's done?
I pray that God uses me and my story of transformation as a living example of His goodness and love. I pray that, by grace, I never forget the feeling of the Holy Spirit that lovingly resides in me, and that I never stop looking for it in other people. It's a beautiful practice, and I recommend you try it too.
And if you are hurting or struggling with something that feels desperately hopeless, I pray you might open your hands and your heart, turn your eyes toward Jesus, and experience the abounding power, love, and good plans He has for you. Beauty is surely evident through the hurt, and our God does not fail. Rest assured, in surrender you will find an empowerment and purpose you could never find in your own strength. Whatever mountain or valley you're in, may you one day rejoice in the beauty that came from it. Our God turns "mourning into dancing" and makes "beauty from ashes" (Psalm 30:11, Isaiah 61:3). I challenge you to truly believe this, and watch your life be transformed.
© 2026 Resurrection: A United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* “What It Sounds Like,” performed by Huntr/x (EJAE, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami), from KPop Demon Hunters (Sony Pictures Animation / Netflix, 2025). Written by Jenna Andrews and Stephen Kirk. Soundtrack released by Republic Records.
