BROKENNESS – and the golden glue of grace
From my new book: A life of CONSECRATION
Psalm 51:12-13 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.
Restoring is not what we do, it is who we are. We follow the supreme example of the man we call Redeemer, Restorer, Saviour. This scripture explores the joy of being restored in order that we may radiate the glorious grace of the great Restorer.
But we are not only restored in our joy, we are entrusted with the spiritual duty of rebuilding and reconstructing the lives of those around us who are broken. Nowhere is this more beautifully exemplified than in the art of Kintsugi
KINTSUGI ART
Kintsugi art[1] is an ancient Japanese tradition involving the repair of broken pottery and porcelain. The cracked pots were fixed by filling the broken areas of the Japanese Kintsugi bowls with powdered gold, platinum, or silver. Kintsugi pottery, as a philosophy, views shattering and restoration as a natural part of cracked pots’ history, instead of something which should be hidden. The Kintsugi meaning quite simply refers to the term “golden joinery”.
Japanese gold cracks are viewed as aesthetically pleasing rather than ugly. Japanese Kintsugi art, in fact, frequently makes the restored object more attractive than the original, renewing it with a new aesthetic and giving it a fresh lease on life. Exquisite Japanese gold cracks gleam in the visible fractures of Kintsugi bowls once finished, providing each reconditioned piece with a one-of-a-kind character.
The Kintsugi meaning and significance are related to mushin, a Japanese philosophy that covers the principles of non-attachment, embracing impermanence, and fate as parts of human existence. The utilization of an object’s wear markings is valued in Japanese aesthetics. Not only is there no effort to conceal the damages, but the restoration is actually lit up as a tangible manifestation of mushin’s principle.
To a large extent this was exactly what Paul was trying to communicate when he said: (2 Corinthians 12:8) Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take the thorn in my flesh away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
APPLICATION
Just like the broken Japanese pots, our brokenness should be reconstructed and renewed in such a way that the Lord’s perfection is revealed, not ours. We are therefore in no position to judge the imperfections of others while we bear our own marks of imperfection. What should be visible in our lives for all to see are the golden threads of mending where the Lord repaired us, keeping our brokenness visible for all to see.
Grace is the golden glue that holds us together, not truth. When we behold all the other broken vessels around us, our response should be found by looking at the golden threads of our own repairs and not the broken pieces we see before us.
INSPIRATION
While writing this chapter I was interrupted by a WhatsApp message from Lebanon. It was from a precious sister in Christ, Vera, who works amongst the refugees in the Beqaa Valley. Her heart and her passion for the Kingdom are unequalled and her witness amongst the refugees unparalleled. For a number of years, Vera faithfully served the Lord even though she suffered from a severe foot injury. She would always hide the pain behind the most beautiful Lebanese smile, and few would realise the discomfort she suffered. Remarkably, but not surprisingly, her brokenness made it easier for her to identify with those she served. She never complained.
Many prayers were offered and many of her co-workers believed the Lord would intervene and heal her. After all, wouldn’t she be a more usable vessel in the hands of God if she was completely mobile and healed from this debilitating obstacle?
But the foot did not get better.
Vera was finally invited to Namibia where a group of caring and loving physicians performed extensive surgery on the foot. The initial prognosis was positive, and the expectations were that healing has finally set in.
Sadly, the foot did not get better and it progressed from bad to worse. Today we got the news that the foot has to be amputated. The pot has broken, and the pieces are scattered, ready for gold to mend it together.
Yes, grace is the golden glue that holds us together. In the midst of Vera’s heartache and fear, she wrote the following message:
Dear Pastor Mike. I’ve lost a lot – it seems like everything I love, I lose…and am still losing. This time the foot. But even though I don’t understand anything and have many questions to God, I said to Him “You might take away everything I have, or allow it to be gone, but I’ll never give you up, or let anything cause me to lose you. Whatever will happen to me, even death, I will still love you. Maybe this is my cross that’s meant to be, I have no choice except to choose to carry it everyday until I meet You”
Vera confessed that maybe this is God’s consecration for her to allow her to feel the pain more clearly of those who suffer the heartache of being amputated from home, family, and security. She had an understanding that sometimes consecration comes at a price, just like Jesus was consecrated for a cross. To display the beauty of a broken Kintsugi pot, we first need to be broken.
If we only seek release, healing and perfection we will miss the golden threads in our lives. Vera’s reconstruction came through brokenness. Her imperfection will radiate the beauty of a God who makes new, restores and redeems. For the refugees in Lebanon God will send an angel and that angel will carry with her the golden traces of grace.
Yes, He reconstructs. And when He does it will be for all to see the beauty of His loving hands.
[1] https://artincontext.org/kintsugi/