Broken Crayons Can Still Color
“and she always had a way with her brokenness. She would take her pieces and make them beautiful.”
― R.M. Drake
So, when I was a little girl, I loved to color. In fact, I still love to color, but I don’t always take the time to do so, which now that I think about it I should work into my schedule because coloring has always been a relaxing and freeing activity for me, but I digress.
So again, when I was a little girl, I loved to color. Every color crayon Crayola ever created was in my possession. (Boy, that’s a tongue twister. Try saying that sentence 3 times fast…whew). But again, I digress.
Okay, so as a little girl I was just as organized as I am now, as an adult. Everything in my room had its own space and place, and I was very intentional about putting my things back where they belonged, including my crayons. I made sure to place each crayon back into the exact space I removed it from, and I sharpened them when they started to get flat or dull so that they always would stand tall in the box and look perfect.
One of my biggest pet peeves was to break a crayon, and if one of my friends broke my crayons, she would not be allowed to use them again. That may seem harsh, but that was how I rolled. Now, could I still color with the broken crayons? Of course I could but to me, a broken crayon was no longer perfect. It could no longer stand tall with its other crayon buddies in the box, which meant I had to remove it, which meant I had an empty space in the box, which meant my crayons were going to lean to one side, which drove me crazy so, I would stop using that box of crayons altogether and open up a new box. Yes, I had multiple boxes on standby. My grandmother may not have always been able to buy me the latest and greatest toys, but she could afford to buy me crayons, so I had boxes of crayons for days.
Sadly, our perception of ourselves is just like the one I held as a child; brokenness equals uselessness. But I’m going to let you in on a little secret, despite the bad things that have happened to you, despite how broken you are, or how incomplete you may feel, you are STILL useful.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary provides two meanings of the word useful:
- “Capable of being put to use, especially serviceable for an end or purpose…”
- “Of a valuable or productive kind.”
The first definition describes something or someone as being useful if it, or he or she can be put to use or be of service to others in some type of capacity. The second definition describes useful as being productive. So, here’s the thing, if we’re using my broken crayon analogy, which we are, a broken crayon can still be productive and be of service to its user. Even a small piece of a crayon can provide color, it may be challenging to hold or grip, and it may even be annoying trying to use a sliver of a crayon instead of the whole thing, but again, that small piece of pigmented wax can still accomplish its purpose; it can still do what it was created to do.
When we experience things that hurt us to our core or shatter our hearts into tiny pieces, our purpose in life, the purpose God placed in us, doesn’t change. Unlike my juvenile mentality, when we become broken, God doesn’t consider us useless and move on to the next “perfect” person who can do the job better. Now, it may take some time for the pain to subside enough for us to function properly again, and it may take a while for God to pick up and reassemble our broken pieces, but we also can still color. Even as a sliver of a person, we can still make a beautiful picture. Even as a sliver of a person we can still help produce works that get showcased on walls at home or on refrigerator doors or even office cubicles for all to see and admire as they walk by.
And for those of you, or should I say those of us, who have made more mistakes than we can count, and even more intentional bad decisions than we would like to admit, we can still be used too. We have to get away from this idea, that our “time” has passed or that we’re “all used up”. God can use every little piece that we have, He can use every little piece that we are to create a masterpiece or do masterful things. Furthermore, God can make ALL things new, not some things, but all things – that includes the tangible and the intangible things, the living and the dead things. I am living proof of that truth.
So, the next time you feel useless or someone tries to tell you that you no longer serve a purpose, get an image in your mind of a crayon with its Crayola wrapper peeled off, and broken in half spreading color across a page or drawing a picture, and remember that even broken crayons can still color.
Until we speak again…smooches. 
Think On This: Are you feeling useless or that you missed your chance to do something meaningful with your life? What makes you feel this way? How can you combat these feelings?
Powerful!! I too love to color and always felt the same way about a broken crayon. I always threw it out. It dawned on me some years ago in my adult age that duh it still can be used. Thank you for that analogy that we as humans though we may be broken we are still useful.
Hey Dee! Coloring is the best, I really have to start doing it again. I mean I created an adult coloring book and don’t even use it.
But it’s amazing how finite our thinking is as children, and still so many of us think this way. Hopefully this will reach the people it’s intended to reach and they’ll be encouraged.
Hi Natasha
I enjoyed the reading a reminder of who we are and our worth even when broken.
Loved 🥰 it!
Sandra
You’re welcome Sandra Dee. Every once in awhile I forget myself, but God always has a word of encouragement waiting to remind me. I’m glad this was yours.