Broken
The last few days I have been considering the fragility of the world around us. One cannot turn on the news without becoming startled by the broken world we live in. I wonder how much it must grieve God to witness the effects of the fall of man.
I believe we are the work of God’s hands. Like a potter creating unique and beautiful pieces, we are His craftsmanship. Vessels to be used for His good work.
O Lord, you are our father, we are the clay, you are the potter, we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8
Unfortunately, we cannot live long in this world before the pot of ourselves becomes broken. Brokenness is the result of our sin or the sins of others. That state of defeat we experience when hardships come our way.
I have been reading about the art of Kintsugi. It is a technique of repairing Janapeese pottery. It is believed to have originated in the 1400s when a shogun dropped and broke his favorite teacup. He had regarded it to have great beauty so it was sent to be repaired. At the time, the repair process involved using iron braces to sew the broken areas.
The shogun was extremely displeased with the ugliness of the repair and demanded the ceramists try again. A lacquer mixture was used that included gold dust. The outcome gave the cup a new and unique beauty.
If we are willing to take our broken pieces before God, we can become whole again. Christ is the lacquer that holds us together.
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17
If we take our brokenness to Jesus, the Master’s craftsmanship can be restored. Our scars, accentuated by the lacquer of the Savior, will transform us into something new, unique, and beautiful.
This post is my first participation in the weekly Five Minute Friday. Today is not actually Friday, but as usual, I’m running late.
I love the Kintsugi art. It is such a lovely reminder of what the Lord does with us when we hand over our brokenness to Him. Thank you so much for your words. Your FMF neighbour.
I agree Lynne. I was fascinated when reading the history of Kintsugi. Thanks for your encouragement!
Got Dad’s rifle on the wall,
its stock is badly cracked,
but it shoots true, so hang it all,
I thought I could inject
epoxy into that long break,
to help it hold together,
so that maybe it might take
more hunting in foul weather.
But that fix, it did look lame
(although the bond was strong),
and so my thinking finally came
to figure what was wrong:
that rifle bore proud scars of old,
so I limned them with melted gold.
#1 at FMF this week, if you’d care to drop by.
Thanks for the invite. I will drop by!