The Art of Kintsugi - Don't Hide Your Broken Pieces!
Today, I’m sitting at my laptop writing to you from a place of feeling happy and content. And I must say, it’s a really nice and welcomed place to be. Yet experience has taught me (and many of us) that one phone call from my child’s school, or the doctor’s office, or from the man I love, could feel as if someone has taken a hammer and knocked a chunk out of my “wholeness.” Busted and broken again and feeling defeated. It may sound depressing but it’s NOT at all!
What if we look at our busted pieces the way that an artist practices Kintsugi (kint-soo-gee)? Kintsugi (noun: “golden repair”) is an ancient Japanese technique of repairing fragments and cracks of broken ceramic pottery by using lacquered resin and powdered gold. You can google the process and see gorgeous and unique pieces of pottery and gain a greater appreciation for their value. Instead of hiding the flaws, the Kintsugi approach emphasizes the damage with beautiful gold. The value is greater because of the breaks.
So what does Kintsugi have to do with being a follower of Jesus Christ? How can our brokenness possibly add value to what does not feel valuable at the time?
Picture yourself getting down on your knees (literally), cradling (figuratively) your broken circumstances in your hands before the Lord. Here’s what it would sound like. “Lord, my circumstances are overwhelming. I can’t put this mess back together on my own. Help me, Jesus. I need you. I’m handing you my brokenness.” Here’s the good news. This is the point where the greatest Artist and Creator of all begins his finest work in us. The process starts when we:
fully release our shattered mess into God’s control (and leave it there)
trust God to do the repairs and restorations (not ourselves or others)
Stop trying to fix the fallout on our own (we can make our mess even messier)
are willing to wait on God and allow for the healing to happen HIS WAY
Don’t be afraid to show others your broken places. When we are open in our brokenness it can draw attention not to us, but to the healing power of our God. In My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers writes, “The greatest characteristic a Christian can exhibit is this completely unveiled openness before God, which allows that person’s life to become a mirror for others. When the Spirit fills us, we are transformed, and by beholding God we become mirrors.”
“We all, with unveiled faces, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image…” 2Corionthians 3:18.
The end result of seeing beauty come out of our trials can require a painful and sometimes long process. God works on His own time frame and in some strange (not the way I would have done it) and mysterious ways. When we allow our cracks and chips to be filled by God’s healing hand there is more of His beauty in us for others to see. God is a master at making much good out of our mess when we choose to walk closely with the Potter.
If someone has taken a hammer to you, don’t hide your pieces in a bag and pretend you’re fine. Shame and embarrassment are how the enemy will keep you broken. Instead, surrender today your mess to God and watch Him make something beautiful.
Next week I’ll walk you through the process of doing your own Kintsugi art. This “bowl smashing” event is a lot of fun. Especially when you get to hold the hammer and do the breaking. What a great reminder when you see that the more cracks and broken pieces you start out with, the more opportunities for something beautiful to fill them!