Kintsugi: Beautifully Broken

Broken

Let’s start over.

Have you ever wanted a fresh start? Wanted to go back to the way things were?

Or just pretend that certain things didn’t happen?

In the 15th century there was a Japanese military commander by the name of Ashikaga Yoshimasa who had broken a beloved Chinese tea bowl.

I don’t know about you, but more often than not if something breaks at our house we just go online and order a new one.

But Ashikaga didn’t want a new bowl, he wanted this cup that was precious to him repaired. So he sent it back to China to be fixed. When he got it back, it had been stapled together and was unusable. Not to mention, it was no longer beautiful.

So Ashikaga summoned Japanese craftsmen to take on the task of repairing this precious bowl and they came up with the idea of Kintsugi.

Golden Joinery

Kintsugi literally means golden joinery.

By mixing lacquer with golden dust they were able to put the broken pieces of the bowl back together making it even more beautiful than before. Not only that, every line told a story. Every place that was broken is a reminder of an essential moment on the journey. The flaws aren’t hidden. These cracks create beauty.

We live in a world where, when our lives are shattered and broken, what we want is a quick fix. A chance to start over. We want things to go back to the way they were. If we could somehow forget the pain, reverse what went wrong in the relationship, undo what has been done or rewind what has been said, then maybe everything would be ok.

But Kintsugi is a beautiful reminder of what happens when we embrace the past, the brokenness, the pain, and allow God to transform us into something beautiful.

The Apostle Paul once said it this way…

For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” – 2 Corinthians 4.6-7

We’re All Broken

Maybe you feel like you’ve got too many broken pieces, that your life has been shattered in too many places and it would be impossible to repair, to put it back together.

Here’s some good news, Jesus knows how to put broken people back together again.

And what’s more, when you share your story, when you allow others to see the lines and scars, the broken places where God has healed you and made you whole, the beauty of the light of Christ shines in you and through you to those around you.

Maybe you’re broken.

We’re all broken.

But we’re beautifully broken.

Every line tells the story of God’s love. Every wound is now a witness to His faithfulness.

And this light gives hope to those just like us who are broken and shattered. Hope that Jesus can heal them, transform them, and make them whole.

May the beauty of Christ shine through your brokenness.

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