Gather up the fragments

John 6: 12-13

When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

Jesus expressly told the disciples to gather up the fragments from the leftover of the feeding of the multitude. Perhaps the disciples didn’t see any need to gather up the remnant; at least a miracle had taken place, the people had been fed, so they could just forget about that experience because nothing else valuable could come from it. But they were wrong, Jesus directed that they gather up the fragments that nothing be lost, and eventually they gathered up twelve full baskets from the leftover. The disciples and the multitude viewed the leftover as being insignificant probably because they were scattered all over the place in small bits, but by the time they gathered them together, it was a whooping twelve baskets full.

This story relates to many of life experiences in a certain way, although it speaks of an experience where there was surplus. There could be times that you go through some unpleasant experience that is devastating and leaves your life in mere fragments, and as you look at the fragments of your life, you can find nothing of any significant value. Many have at such points ignored the fragments and walked away, but they have not been able to make anything out of life since that experience. This ought not to be so because there are many inspiring stories of people who have had very unpleasant experiences that could have completely ruined their lives, but they came out of it, gathered together the fragments of what was left, and built a life and legacy that others have come to celebrate. The difference is that while the experience lasted, they held on, and in the end they refused to accept that everything was lost. They simply gathered up the fragments of their lives together and moved on to start all over again, leveraging on the fragments from their past experience. The story of Horatio Spaffold is one of such compelling stories.

In 1871, Horatio Spafford, a prosperous lawyer and devout Christian, and his wife, Anna, were living comfortably with their four young daughters in Lake View, Chicago.

In that year the great fire broke out which devastated the entire city. For the next two years Horatio and Anna devoted their time to welfare work amongst the refugees of the fire.

By November 1873 the Spaffords needed some respite and decided to join friends in Europe but just before their departure Horatio was detained on business. Anna and their four daughters were persuaded to set off without him but en route tragedy struck. The steamship they were travelling on, the Ville du Havre, sank after colliding with another ship in mid-ocean.

Of the hundreds on board, Anna was one of only 27 who were rescued having been kept afloat by a piece of debris. Her daughters did not survive. Overcome with despair at the loss of her childern, Anna felt strongly that she had been saved for a purpose.

In Chicago, Horatio received a tragic telegram from his wife: ‘Saved alone.’

Setting off to bring Anna home, he crossed the Atlantic and the watery grave of his four daughters. Moved by the experience he wrote a hymn, ‘IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL’, which expressed his faith. 

The hymn remains one of the most popular Christian hymns.

“When peace like a river attendeth my way

When sorrows like sea billows roll,

Whatever my lot,

thou hast taught me to say:

It is well, it is well, with my soul”

In life, you get to have your own fair share of challenges, and it is really up to you what you pick up from them. I dare say that how you well you are able to gather up the fragments of your life after an unpleasant experience defines your true worth.

Many of the great inventors, business men, ministers of the gospel, and great leaders are not people who have been “so lucky” not to have had an unpleasant experience, but they are people who have simply gathered up the fragments of their lives after their bitter experience and moved on to make something worthwhile out of life. There are certainly valuable lessons to learn (fragments to gather up) from every of life experience regardless of how unpleasant it was.

Perhaps you are reading this, and you are thinking that life has dealt very unfairly with you because of certain unpleasant experiences you have had or still having. The truth is that if only you will look closely and carefully enough, there is some measure of value left over for you to gather up and start over again. You may be devastated by the death of a loved one, you may have lost some good money in a business deal, you may have dropped out of school for some reasons or lost your job, you may have been jilted by someone that held great promises, you may have been raped, abused or maltreated, I could go on and on, but there is still some measure of value in your life. Your case may be that you think you are entitled to more than you have gotten out of life because of how well you have devoted yourself to the service of God, or because of how much you have put into life. I tell you my friend, stop mulling over those things, it is time to gather up your fragments and move on. Leverage on your fragments as a starting point as you take a leap of faith into the future. Don’t put your life on-hold, the world is waiting to hear your story if only you will forge ahead from where you are right now.

Gather up your fragments and move on!

N.B

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