How To Be Broken & Beautiful

kintsugi-cover

This year has been one of those years. A marker year ringing with transition. We all have those years. Not to bore you with details but several things happened. I transitioned from stay-at-home-keeper-of -all -things-family to full-time teacher, suffered with a child over great loss, turned 50 and continued to care for my husband and his unusual medical condition. I was feeling broken and lonely.But I was never alone.Around March, in a moment of solace, I was reading Psalm 23 about the Good Shepherd. Two things stood out to me that morning. The phrase..."you make me -lie down in green pastures..." at the beginning and "surely your goodness- shall follow me all the days of my life." So my question was, how do I do what you have put before me and continue to shine your goodness Lord?  I am dulled but my edges are sharp and raw, real. I am not holy or light or salt.  I am cracking.

I am weighted and worn. I needed to be unearthed by the one I call Yahweh, the One who is more than enough.

woodfired-kintsugi-teabowl-b

For whatever reason, my search took me to Google and the words broken and beautiful and I found Kinstugi: the Japanese Art of repair. It literally means "golden joinery". In Japan this art form, has been used by  Potters for over 400 years to repair broken pottery.My Potter, showed me, my answer.In a golden, symbolic, language I understood.We are all still broken, and will be throughout our lives, but as the Potter, the Lord mends our shards and sharp pieces, our fragmented broken places, with His golden light and love. My veins and cracks now have a beauty all their own, a testament, a story. So the Lord with intention, took my struggles and gave them glimmer, He polished and mended my raw edges because He is good.Yes, His Goodness shall follow me all the days of my life and the joints of my story now have a golden glow.  Amen.Here is a video with more information on the art of Kinstugi