Monday Devotional: Broken Pieces

The first time I ever used a chainsaw, I was 17 years old. I was working on the summer maintenance crew at Camp Au Sable in northern Michigan. During the last two weeks of camp, it was our job to find and cut down all the dead trees and turn them into firewood for the winter.

Before we started, our supervisor, Mr. Dick Scott, gathered us together and gave us a serious safety talk about using a chainsaw. We all promised to be careful and then headed out into the woods.

At first, I was. But after a few days of cutting trees without any problems, I started feeling a little too confident. That’s when I found a huge dead oak tree. It stood over eight feet tall and was thicker than my waist. I cut almost all the way through it. Then, wanting to show off, I called out, “Hey guys, watch this!” I set the chainsaw on the ground, leaned into the trunk, and gave it a big shove.

CRACK.

The tree fell with a loud crash—right on top of my chainsaw.

My heart sank. I ran over, hoping it wasn’t too bad. But the saw was smashed into the ground and shattered into pieces.

All my confidence vanished. I felt sick. I knew I had to tell Mr. Scott what I’d done.

I gathered up the broken pieces of the chainsaw and walked back to the shop. He was at the workbench, working on a project. I placed the pieces on the bench and quietly said, “Mr. Scott, I broke your chainsaw.”

I stood there, waiting for the yelling or the lecture. But it never came.

Instead, he chuckled and said, “Well, that one will be good for parts.” Then he walked over to the bin, grabbed another saw, and said, “Go back out there and keep cutting.”

That moment was one of the first times I truly experienced grace.

So what does God do when we mess up?

The Israelites found out at Mount Sinai. God had just rescued them from slavery in Egypt and made a promise to be their God. The people responded in Exodus 19:8, saying, “Everything the Lord has said, we will do.”

But just a few days later, while Moses was still up on the mountain talking to God, the people broke their promise. They made a golden calf and worshiped it, saying, “These are the gods who brought us out of Egypt.” (Exodus 32:8)

It was a huge failure.

Moses was furious. God could have walked away. But instead, He used the moment to teach Moses something deeper—about grace.

God called Moses back up the mountain. Moses begged God to forgive His people. He was desperate to know that they were still loved. Then Moses made a bold request: “Show me Your glory.” (Exodus 33:18)

And God did. He passed by Moses and allowed him to see His back—not His full face—but it was enough. In that moment, God described Himself: “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, overflowing with love and faithfulness.” (Exodus 34:6–7)

And that changed everything.

Now Moses knew he could ask the impossible. He said, “Please travel with us.” (Exodus 34:9)

And God said yes.

God replied, “Build me a house, and I’ll come live among you and travel with you wherever you go.” (see Exodus 35)

If you’ve never experienced the power of grace, let me put it like this:

Grace is when the person from whom you have a right to expect nothing gives you everything. (Michael Card Inexpressible pp. 21-29)

So if your life feels like a mess, don’t be afraid to bring the broken pieces to God. He’s not looking to scold you—He’s looking to restore you.

Let His love set you free.

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever messed up something really important? How did you feel afterward?

• What does grace mean to you?

• Why do you think God gave Moses another chance after the people worshiped the golden calf?