When Our Brokenness Draws God to Us

How do you pursue wholeness? Do you fill the crevices of your brokenness with distraction and things that may seem easiest? Instead, God invites you to dig deeper, past the surface until you find the specks of gold (His love) hidden in the dust, hidden in the brokenness.

Consider Kintsugi (kint-soo-gee) or “Golden Repair”, the centuries-old Japanese tradition of mending broken ceramics with gold.

“When an object breaks, the kintsugi technique involves using gold dust and resin or lacquer to reattach the broken pieces. Built on the idea that profound strength and beauty is to be found in imperfection, this art form can help shape our own perspectives about the scars we bear.” (Magnolia Journal)

Our lowliness and brokenness draw God to us, not away from us.

Mary felt God’s loving gaze upon her lowliness while the life of Jesus was formed in her. Christ is being formed in us as well, as we receive the gold of His love and see our scars as part of the rare works of art that we are!

Paul (Saul), too, experienced the gold of God’s love, repairing his misguided, broken life. Jesus said to him “My power is made perfect in your weakness.”

Paul was willing to let the gold of God’s love remake his life. His “Kintsugi” experience with God made Paul feel accepted and whole, healed with the patience and kindness of God, prompting him to write these words “Love (God) is large and incredibly patient. Love (God) is gentle and consistently kind to all.” (I Cor 13:4)

“Kintsugi refocuses our attention from what should have been, toward creating something more infinitely beautiful with what remains, and perhaps far more honoring of who we were made to be all along.” (Magnolia Journal)

How might this gracious process of repair inspire your own journey towards wholeness? See the smile of Jesus as He holds you in your discovery, as He helps you see your scars in a different light.

BETH