Last January, I found these little pastel-colored shells, still hinged together, nestled in the white sand of the Florida gulf coast. Resembling butterfly wings, they were just too precious to leave behind. I gathered as many as I could and packed them carefully into my luggage.

At home, I glued them onto cardstock. They looked like a swarm of butterflies flying up and away. As I worked, Isaiah 40:31 came to mind. It had come to mind a lot in the past couple weeks. So I printed it out and glued it above the shells.

Two days before this magical vacation, I was diagnosed with a thyroid problem. The diagnosis was not a surprise; it explained every symptom I’d suffered. Yet, in many ways it felt like a sucker punch. My doctor put her hand on my shoulder said, “Are you ready for this? You’re going to have a big change this year.” Always the optimist, I smiled and nodded enthusiastically then went home and made a plan.

As I watched the waves crash onto the shore, I let the diagnosis wash over me. I knew I needed to change, I knew I needed to slow down, I wasn’t sure exactly what that meant, but I had a plan. And this vacation on the beach seemed just the perfect start to my recovery.

But when the vacation ended, I felt trapped between changing and just continuing with my plans. Tension was building; I was exhausted, burnt out and preoccupied.

I needed a break but what came next wasn’t what I had in mind.

I broke my leg in three places and dislocated my right foot. The doctor screwed my leg back together and sent me home to sit in my chair for 8 weeks.  No driving for 12 weeks.

As soon as I heard the crack of breaking bones, I knew God  was up to something. He had given me the break I so desperately needed.

"Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)

Summer came and I was back on my feet, but my thyroid was still out of whack and now estrogen dominance and adrenal fatigue had joined the party. I found myself in the clinic with blood pressure issues. Old Kristy would have kept filling her days with activity. She would have looked for peace in the medical dictionary and in making an action plan. She would have second guessed the doctor and obsessed over every symptom. Old Kristy would have continued to say “yes” to every request and pushed through the symptoms.

But through those weeks of sitting in my chair, God had shown me a new way to live. He taught me how to be still, how to wait on Him, how to rest and renew my strength. New Kristy practiced going with the flow. She let people help just as they had when she couldn’t walk. New Kristy called in sick. She looked for peace – and found it – in time with God, praying and worshipping.

Breaking my leg is not something I would ever choose. But it saved my life, of this I am convinced. God took my broken bones and made something new. Like my little butterfly shells, I am a new creation.

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." (Isaiah 43:19)

What new thing is God doing in your life? How have you found wisdom and peace amidst suffering?

Kristy Rose is a Gen X homeschooling mom who sells Avon to support her writing habit. In 2006, God transplanted her to North Dakota. Moving to the state her great-grandparents homesteaded in 1903 and the ensuing adventures on the prairie have deepened her faith and given her a heart-felt understanding of God's amazing mercy and grace. You can get her take on pretty much everything at throughrosecoloredglasses.weebly.com. Read more JOY Blog posts by Kristy.