We all know the feeling, the sinking stomach and absolute dread that hits as your phone falls that distance to the hard floor below. In this technology crazed world, it’s probably safe to assume at least one of your precious and delicate devices has hugged the floor just a little too firmly, resulting in a shattered screen.

I experienced that heartbreak not that long ago with my precious new iPhone 5S. After much mourning and gnashing of teeth, I came to the conclusion I had no other choice but to fix it immediately. How could I not? It was shattered into a beautiful disaster of glass shards and distortion.

Clearly I could not live my life that way.

I’d fix it the next day. But I was really busy that next day, and the day after that too. Three weeks down the road, I had basically written it in pencil as a “good idea to fix sometime soon-ish”. You see, I had gotten use to the shattered screen. Once I got all the shards out of my skin, and my eyes learned to adjust to the distortion, I was literally able to see past the flaw without acknowledging it. I had officially learned to live with a broken device—still functioning—but absolutely broken.

Sound familiar? Have you ever found yourself in a spot where all you’re thinking is “I can’t stay this way. Something has to change?” Maybe you found yourself at an altar or maybe even alone in a parking lot with your head in your hands crying out to God, “Help me!”

In those moments, we are deeply aware of our flaw, our shattered state. But the next week rolls around and we find that the despair we felt has fallen into a state of adjustment. Why? Because fixing the shattered piece is inconvenient and hard. Sometimes fixing that piece isn’t something we can do by ourselves. Almost always we will find that fixing that piece will cost us something.

Are we on the same page? Let me be ultra clear. We all have weaknesses, like glass. But sometimes life happens and our weakness turns into major faults. We become shattered and broken. Sure, we can still function, but we are far from our potential. We, like a fragile glass encased device, are susceptible to both greatness and brokenness. Psalms 34:18 says this “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

If you are at a point where you feel shattered and beyond hope, I urge you to stop where you are and seek a God who is close to the brokenhearted. Sometimes our greatest downfall is our self-reliance, the drive to fix ourselves. However, God did not create you to “function” rather to thrive at your full potential.

Take a moment to examine yourself today. Can you feel your heart throbbing for a new chance? Let’s fix our shattered screens; your potential is worth it.

Olivia Dummer is a student in Blue Springs, Missouri where Scott Smith is her pastor. She writes and keeps an inspirational blog hoping to encourage others and share what she’s learned about God.