Broken People are Beautiful & We’re All a Little Broken
God has a heart for broken people. Aside from our spiritual brokenness, God loves us through our physical ailments. The Bible references several situations of people with physical disabilities, healed with Jesus’ hands to show His supernatural power.
Many of our Bible heroes also had physical disabilities. Isaac was blind, and Jacob gained a limp from wrestling with an angel. Moses stuttered, and Paul had severe physical problems that he outlined in his letters to the churches. God used them all to accomplish His purposes.
But what about mental disabilities? The Bible doesn’t discuss specifically address those kinds of brokenness. As a society, we don’t talk about them much either. Still, we can agree that God created us in His own image (Genesis 1:27), and He loves all of us. Matthew 25:40 comes into play as well. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me.”
While writing my book, I wanted to highlight a child of God who wasn’t being used in his full capacity. Someone with a mental or physical disability who could do more, if someone would give him a chance. For my book, that someone became Jimmy Melancon.
Jimmy’s mother Amy describes him as a good boy, but not the fastest mule in the barn. She isn’t being unkind, just realistic. This mother has spent the last two decades being told all the things her son will never accomplish. She accepts that, and she focuses on all the things he can do.
When my main character Jen suggests Jimmy work for her husband Mike at his hardware store, Amy’s first thought is that it’s impossible. However, when Jen questions Amy about Jimmy’s skills, Amy realizes it’s not so farfetched. To quote Jen, “I think Amy had spent a great deal of time dealing with what Jimmy couldn’t do. This proud mama was excited to tell someone what her son could do.” Thanks to Jimmy’s father, he has grown up coming to the store. He knows the inventory better even than the owner. As Jen and Amy strategize, they both realize Jimmy could be the perfect addition to the store. And a godsend to Jen’s overworked husband. How to convince Mike?
Mike intends to prove Jimmy can’t do the job, so he asks the young man to pretend that he is an employee and Mike is a customer. Much to Mike’s surprise, Jimmy shows he has what it takes to do the job.
Jimmy is one of my favorite supporting characters, possibly my most favorite. He plays a minor role in my first book, but I have big plans for him as the series progresses. Why? Because God uses him to show we all have skills, and we all serve a purpose.
Sometimes life throws you curveballs. Jen Guidry thrives in the big city, but her husband Mike finds the bright lights blinding. He moves their family back to the tiny town in Louisiana where he grew up, a place that doesn’t even have a coffee shop! How will Jen cope with being a fish out of water? God puts us all where we’re needed, and Jen is no exception. It isn’t long before Jen is living a life she never knew she wanted. Can she give up the bright lights of the big city forever and truly appreciate her yard full of lightning bugs? Join Jen and her family in the first book of this delightful small-town series, as she finds new friends and new adventures (and misadventures) while navigating small-town life.
Jann Franklin lives in the small town of Grand Cane, Louisiana. Over three hundred other people also live in Grand Cane, and many of Jann’s chapters came from her weekly visits at the downtown coffee shop. She would like it on the record that Grand Cane’s current mayor and aldermen are nothing like the characters in her book. They are definitely larger than life, but in a good way.
She and her husband John enjoy Sundays at Grand Cane Baptist Church, dinner with family and friends, and watching the lightning bugs in their backyard. Their kids come to visit when they aren’t too busy living their big-city lives.
She graduated from high school in Russellville, another small town in Arkansas. She received her accounting degree from Baylor University in Waco, Texas and moved to Dallas in 1989. She still dabbles in accounting but has taken up writing to satisfy her creative side. Like Jen Guidry, she never appreciated her small-town upbringing until she moved back to one. Now she cannot imagine living any other way.
If you ever make it to Grand Cane, stop by 4C Coffee Shop and say “hi.” Rhonda Cox and her employees make amazing coffee, and they will save a seat and a smile for you. Amazon Author Page