In nature, nothing is ever wasted. Even energy is never lost, it just changes form. This can be true of the things that happen in our lives. When we trust God, good can come out of everything.
The Japanese art of Kintsugi illustrates this for me. Kintsugi is the art of restoring the broken pieces of valuable pottery using a lacquer resin mixed with powdered gold, silver or platinum. Instead of concealing the breaks or flaws, these are incorporated into the restored item, making them part of the object’s history. Many view the restored piece as more beautiful than the original.
Many of us have experienced brokenness in our lives. We can acknowledge this brokenness and express the pain, sadness, anger, grief etc. that came with it. This is a necessary part of our healing and restoration. Those very things then become a valuable part of our history and can even become something beautiful and which give hope to others on a similar journey.
(Featured image: Ceramic bowl restored by Rutham Hurwitz ‘the village potter.’)