What was that I said about Broken Pieces?

Maybe I’m still stuck on “broken” pieces after my escapades with a broken hand figurine and Amazon (Friday post/blog). I remembered another story of a broken figurine that reminds me of the broken people in our world. After my daughter, Staci, wrote and recorded her song, “Brand New Life” which talks about how Jesus forgave the broken woman caught in the act of adultery, I gave her this figurine shown here. (This is her song which speaks of broken to brand new -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mne_vZm6SqY )

In their move to Washington from Oklahoma, the statute was broken into many pieces. She embarked on the task to put Jesus and the woman back together again, piece by piece. She literally put Jesus’ members back together again. She remarked “And this is what Jesus wants us to be doing – to “re-member” HIS broken body (the Body of Christ) by bringing us together.

I thought about the brokenness in our world right now. We need our Master Repair Man to put us back together again. It seems like a daunting task – especially in these troubled, broken times when many of God’s children are breaking each other apart with words and actions. When I say “God’s children” – those are all of mankind. They don’t all call Him Father, but He calls everyone His children. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him, would not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

He’s had us in “time out” since early March and you would think, by now, that we would have learned our lessons well. But, it seems like our punishment hasn’t gotten through to us because so many are still rebellious, nasty-talking and nasty-acting out like spoiled rascals. Back to who the blame goes to -- it is the enemy of our souls whose sole aim is to break us apart, keep us apart and steal our joy, our peace, and our love for each other. We are a broken generation that needs to be repaired and our broken hearts to be mended.

Oh, but never fear – Jesus is here! He said about the Father, “He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted” (Luke 4:18). And He does that in partnership with His trustworthy and devoted-to-Him, bought-with-a-price royal children who suit-up and show up on the front lines. We are His hands extended to broken hearts to be PEACE-makers in their lives as we emulate God’s peace in our own lives. Jesus allowed His body to be broken for you and me. Isn’t it time we do everything we can to BE the Body of Christ who does everything we can to heal the brokenness in our world with His love and peace?

Kintsukuroi -- To Repair With Gold

Kintsukuroi (keen-tsoo-koo-ray) was introduced to me by a friend a few weeks ago. I was so inspired by this Japanese art form of restoring broken pottery and ceramic objects with special lacquer fused with gold, silver or platinum. So, technically, Kintsukuroi is the art of embracing broken and flawed things.

Where Kintsukuroi came from? Old sources say, in the late 15th century Japanese sent a broken Chinese tea bowl to China for repairs and the end-product he got had metal staples. It looked so ugly that Japanese craftsmen looked around for something more artistic and beautiful. Their curiosity and enthusiasm marked the birth of Kintsukuroi, the art of repairing broken pottery. It’s said they were so pleased with the art that they deliberately smashed expensive pottery so that it could be mended with seams of gold. Strange but its true!! Today, the Japanese craftsmen do not toss the broken pieces in the trash (like us!) but bring them together to get a product with an enhanced aesthetic appeal and artistic value.

Unlike you and me, Kintsukuroi “finds beauty in broken and flawed things.” While we Westerners consider broken objects as value and money down the drain, Kintsukuroi artists place their trust in marketing that comes from brokenness to restoration.

By now you know where I'm going with this post. Like this broken pot, we, too have been broken, rejected, misused, set aside, thrown out as damaged goods. We may have thought, "No one would ever want me." But, with the concept of Kintsukuroi, things that we think should be thrown in the trash, are in reality, a precious treasure that needs just a little TLC -- tender loving care. Here's the really, really good news. If we will turn ourselves over to the Master Potter, God, Himself, He will heal our brokenness, fill in the cracks, the lines and breaks in our lives with His unconditional love and mercy which is even more precious than gold. The scars that came from the hurts and pains of our life's experiences, will be made beautiful as we place ourselves in the Master Potter's Hands -- even more beautiful than we were before. And, even beyond the beauty of the NEW you and me, is allowing others to be healed because we were able to turn our scars into stars, our tests became our testimony, our messes became our message to a world that needs these touches of GOLD so much.

"But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand." Isaiah 64:8