Beauty in the Brokenness
A year or so ago I learned about Kintsukuroi , which is the
Japanese art of fixing broken pottery with lacquer dusted or mixed with
powdered gold, silver, or platinum. Being the visual person that I am, I saved a
picture of an example of Kintsukuroi on my phone. Every time I look at it, I’m
reminded of the fact that we’re all broken people. Over the years our hurts, sin, pain, and
other circumstances damage us. Each of us truly are “damaged goods” in one way
or another.
The
good news is that God is the master of repairing broken pottery. He gently
takes the pieces and mends them together with HIS love, which is more precious
than gold, silver, or platinum. The result
is stunning. There is exquisite beauty in the way HE repairs our brokenness. In
Psalm 31:12 David speaks of his brokenness.
“I have faded from
memory as if I were dead and have become like a piece of broken pottery”.
David, the man after God’s
own heart, was no stranger to brokenness. He made mistakes, was hurt, and hurt
others. As we navigate our way through
this life, we’re no different. We will
sin, hurt others, and be hurt. In our
times of brokenness, we humbly bring our jagged pieces to the Lord and work
through the repair process. 1 Peter 5
gives us a beautiful image of this.
“Humble yourselves,
therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt
you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary
the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that
the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood
throughout the world. And after you have
suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his
eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore,
confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen”.
My encouragement to you
today is to “go for the gold”. Gather the broken, jagged pieces and humbly lay
them at HIS feet. Trust HIM as HE mends
you together through the beauty of HIS love. I promise you the result will be
breathtaking.
Be
blessed!
Leslie this is so beautiful - such an encouragement to know that in the way that God has repaired my brokeness I am more beautiful than when I was whole - thank you for this wonderful image - Great to have you back writing x
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