Kintsugi — It is translated as “golden joinery.” It is a centuries old method of fixing broken pottery by using a special lacquer that is dusted with gold, silver or platinum. It creates beautiful seams where the cracks are, giving the piece a uniquely beautiful design. Then I read this about the method: “This repair method celebrates each artifact’s unique history by emphasizing its fractures and breaks instead of hiding or disguising them. Kintsugi often makes the repaired piece even more beautiful than the original, revitalizing it with new life.”
Wow...
It seems like we try so hard to hide or disguise our pain. We have all done it at one point or another. I get it. It’s hard to be openly vulnerable. You risk appearing weak to those around you. You risk being horribly misunderstood — especially in church circles. You risk others seeing your brokenness and then grinding those broken pieces into dust. But... what if we started to see brokenness as a beautiful thing? What if we started to see brokenness the way God sees it? That brokenness isn’t a “bad” thing but instead of sign of strength and beauty.
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”
~ Psalm 51:17
“The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” ~ Psalm 34:18
Kintsugi reminds me of Isaiah 61:3 — He makes beauty for ashes, gives the oil of joy instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of despair.
God can take the ugly mess of my brokenness, repair it and make it my life even more beautiful than before, revitalizing it with new life. I mean... this thought is almost too much for me to handle. First that He does it and second that He WANTS to. He WANTS my mess. He is the Master Creator who can make all things beautiful... even my mess.
It certainly doesn’t feel like this in the middle of the breaking. It feels quite the opposite. Embracing the brokenness is tough. Tough on a level of tough that I’ve never known before. But in the midst of this I think I am coming to understand that in the absolute weakest place that I have ever experienced in my life thus far, He sees strength. When I am hanging on by the thinnest of threads but still get up to bring my mess and weakest “yes” to the Lord... He sees strength. When everything in you screams to just give up but instead you still choose to say “yes” no matter how weak it comes out, no matter how much your voice trembles as you say it... He sees strength. And maybe, just maybe, there is more strength in that weak “yes” then when we have yelled it from the mountain tops in times of confidence. Jesus modeled this perfectly (See Philippians 2:1-8). His death appeared to be weakness in the sight of many and yet it was His greatest display of strength. His brokenness, both literal and spiritual, was a sure sign of strength and so much beauty came through His death.
So maybe we should let our brokenness show a bit more (with wisdom of course). We are after all just broken jars of clay... and He can repair our brokenness in such a way that gold shows as an end result. The Bible is full of broken people... people who felt the same things I am feeling now centuries later. That is something I can take a measure of comfort in. I’d rather see someone’s scars than someone’s perfectly put together self. Scars are relatable and scars help me to know that this season will end with healing. Let me see your scars... they are beautiful.
Check out this song from Iron Bell music: My Confidence
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