We Forget…Broken Will Become Beautiful

 

When friends try to comfort us with sweet words in times of brokenness, it’s hard to imagine we are beautiful in any way. Whether it’s physical brokenness, emotional, spiritual or any feeling or situation that makes us feel less than our best, we feel broken and certainly not beautiful but we forget broken will become beautiful.

I can attest to that and I am sure you can too.  I heard a fabulous speaker several years ago, Barb Roose.   In reading her newest study, “Surrendered-Letting Go and Living Like Jesus”, I saw in print what I heard Barb say……  Kintsukuroi.

Kintsukuroi- “the art of putting broken pottery back together with gold- built on the idea that by embracing the flaws and imperfections, you can create an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art.” [1].

Let’s look at an even deeper meaning – “a metaphor for your life, to see the broken, difficult or painful parts of you as radiating light, gold and beauty.” [2]

Radiate – Really?  When we feel broken, we feel anything but beauty and sunshine.  But once we are “back together”, don’t we somehow glow a little bit more than before?  The joy does shine brighter than before.

Kintsugi, another name for Kintsukuroi is defined as being “ the art of being fixed”.  I think every doctors’ office should hang this on their doors! It’s also “the art of embracing the imperfect technique of repairing broken pottery”.  I watched a video of a Japanese artisan repairing pottery with staples.

This brought me to a very personal memory. When my legs were crushed in a car accident, several incisions  were stapled together looking much like the broken pottery.  A very stark reminder of my personal brokenness. The scars remain but not hidden.  I bear the scars of the hands undoubtedly divinely guided that repaired much of my broken body.  But I was blessed not only by the surgeons’ skills but the joy of living and gratitude that it was not one of my children facing this uncertainty.  Although my surgeons, Doctors, nurses, PT’s, family and friends all played irreplaceable roles in my recovery, none shown brighter than the Restorer Himself. Everyone knew then and still stand in awe that the story God had written and continues to write today was and is miracle upon miracle.

This Japanese artform is exactly God’s design for us.  Not matter what “breaks”, He can and does put us back together, seemingly stronger than before. And don’t forget even more beautiful.  Sometimes you have to take step a back to appreciate the beauty but the “art” of stepping back to look for the beauty, is yet another piece of Kinstugi.

He gives us all the strengthen we need for whatever brokenness we encounter.  My prayer is that you stop to see the beauty as He puts the fragments of our lives back together.

[1] Post April 28, 2015

[2] Post August 2, 2020