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February 20, 2026<\/span><\/p>\n In His Hands: Bent Nails and Weathered Boards<\/strong><\/span> Lee en espa\u00f1ol<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFor we are God\u2019s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.\u201d Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n An older church member once told me, \u201cI never pass an old barn without seeing its potential. The weathered boards, even the bent nails, can be reused to make something new.\u201d<\/p>\n His words pulled me back to a day from my childhood, standing beside my grandfather as we tore down an old chicken coop. He pulled rusty nails from the gray boards and placed them in my hands. My job was to straighten each nail against a stone. When I asked why, he said, \u201cBecause we can use them again. They still have life in them.\u201d<\/p>\n That day also planted a deeper spiritual understanding in my heart: The world may see something old, bent, or weathered as useless. But God doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Scripture tells us \u201cwe are God\u2019s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do\u201d<\/em> (Ephesians 2:10). That means nothing in our lives is wasted \u2014 not the rusty seasons, not the splintered boards, not even the bent nails.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve had seasons when I felt like a pile of discarded wood \u2026 splintered by loss, warped by worry, and wondering if I\u2019d ever be useful again. Ministry felt heavy. Creativity dried up. Even prayer felt like tapping on a closed door. But God didn\u2019t discard me. He met me in the rubble and reminded me I was still in His hands.<\/p>\n Maybe you\u2019ve felt that way, too, bent under the weight of grief and weathered by disappointment, questioning if you may be too worn down to be useful. But God\u2019s hands are steady, and His plans are sure. In His hands, bent nails can be straightened, weathered wood can be restored, and broken lives can be made into something new.<\/p>\n Friend, you are not discarded. You are not beyond repair. You are God\u2019s handiwork, and He sees the beauty and purpose in you even when you can\u2019t. Trust Him to reshape what feels bent, restore what feels worn, and build something beautiful with your life.<\/p>\n If today feels like a demolition site, if your heart is tired and your hope seems rusted, remember this: Even bent nails still have life in them. And in the hands of the Carpenter, nothing is wasted.<\/p>\n Lord, I praise You for being the Carpenter who never wastes a single piece of my life. Take what feels bent and weathered in me, restore what\u2019s worn, and shape it all for Your good work. In Jesus\u2019 Name, Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n If today\u2019s devotion reminded you of how much God\u2019s Truth can steady your heart, you\u2019re not alone. Every day, women are quietly searching for that same kind of clarity and comfort \u2014 especially in moments that feel heavy, confusing, or unexpected.That\u2019s why Therapy & Theology<\/em> is so important. It offers a place for women to work through what they\u2019re walking through with biblical wisdom they can trust<\/strong>. One listener recently shared that the podcast became \u201ca lifeline\u201d when she felt like she was drowning \u2014 not because it offered quick answers but because it gently pointed her back to what was true. Your generosity helps make that kind of hope possible. You can give today to help ensure the next woman searching for guidance finds steady, compassionate, Scripture-rooted Truth waiting for her.<\/strong><\/p>\n Today\u2019s devotion was written by a COMPEL Pro member who won our annual Encouragement for Today<\/em> Devotion Writing Challenge. COMPEL Pro equips Christian writers to make an impact through their words and connect with a supportive community. Click here for more information on joining COMPEL Pro and taking your writing journey to the next level.<\/p>\n 2 Corinthians 4:7-10, \u201cBut we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body\u201d (NIV).<\/p>\n How have you seen God redeem something in your past that felt beyond repair? We\u2019d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments.<\/p>\n \u00a9 2026 by Catherine Dawes. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n Photo Credit: \u00a9iStock\/Getty Images Plus\/YakubovAlim<\/span><\/p>\n Proverbs 31 Ministries February 20, 2026 In His Hands: Bent Nails and Weathered BoardsCATHERINE DAWES, COMPEL Pro Member Lee en espa\u00f1ol \u201cFor we are God\u2019s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.\u201d Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)\u00a0 An older church member once told me, \u201cI never pass an old<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19325,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[6284,6287,86,269,268,5559,5227,6285,270,181,6286],"class_list":{"0":"post-19324","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-devotionals","8":"tag-bent","9":"tag-boards","10":"tag-daily","11":"tag-devotional","12":"tag-encouragement","13":"tag-february","14":"tag-hands","15":"tag-nails","16":"tag-proverbs","17":"tag-today","18":"tag-weathered"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19324\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
CATHERINE DAWES, COMPEL Pro Member<\/span><\/p>\nOUR FAVORITE THINGS<\/h4>\n
ENGAGE<\/h4>\n
FOR DEEPER STUDY<\/h4>\n
P.O. Box 3189
Matthews, NC 28106
www.Proverbs31.org<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"