Repaired With Gold
Pottery is an ancient and beautiful art. Some of the earliest artifacts have been shards of pottery. Bowls and plates were formed by hands thousands of years ago. However, the most treasured pieces of pottery found have been those that were completely and totally shattered. Ordinary pieces of pottery that were dropped, thrown, or maybe even crushed resulted in an unintentional mosaic. These pieces may have been doomed to be thrown away and forgotten. After all, what use is a broken bowl? But there was a potter. A potter who decided these pieces were worth the fight. A potter who put these pieces back together using a method known as Kintsugi, to be repaired with gold.
I’m sure most of us have felt broken. At some point in our lives something happened that made us feel shattered. Perhaps it was a difficult time, maybe the actions of those around us, or maybe dealing with an emotional disorder. Like pottery, we are not meant to feel broken. There is a Potter who sees more than our human eyes ever can. And He loves us.
"But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand." -Isaiah 64:8
There have been times in my life where I have been broken. My lowest point came when I was 18 and in my second year of college. For 6 months I felt like I was in pieces. There were days I couldn’t eat, nights I couldn’t sleep. The panic attacks got so severe that I had to walk out of my classes. All of these factors slowly began to eat away at me. I tried medicine, I went to a doctor and a counselor, I had a supportive family, and my friends and boyfriend did all they could to make me feel safe and loved. It wasn’t enough. I was beginning to crack and had no clue how to keep myself whole.
Eventually, I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety and depression disorder. After the diagnosis, I realized I simply could not do this alone. I started reaching for God more fervently than ever before. My Bible was never far from me. I devoted time to prayer, and I took every opportunity to speak to others about my God.
But I was still struggling. I realized I was still trying to fix myself. I was plugging God in, but I wasn’t taking myself out. One day I finally gave my broken pieces over to Him. Since that day I have felt whole and will always sing His praises. He truly is our healer and friend!
"The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit." -Psalm 34:18
Those that have struggled with emotional disorders of any kind face a special kind of heartbreak. It can make one feel as though she is broken, worthless, and undeserving of help or love from anyone... let alone an amazingly powerful God.
However, something amazing happens when we give our brokenness to Him. He takes the pieces and makes us whole. He takes our weaknesses and turns them into strengths.
This is what Apostle Paul speaks of in his second letter to the Corinthians. Speaking of a weakness (thorn in his side, 2 Cor. 12), Apostle Paul states, “I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Our heavenly father takes all the weakness, anxiety, and heartbreak and with His love and grace builds a perfect vessel for His work. He repairs the shards of our souls with gold.
This is our gift. Our lovely brokenness. We may wish that we were given the gift of natural stamina, to be able to rely on our own strength to face this life. But, what we have been given takes us to a rock much higher than ourselves. Through our brokenness we see that we cannot do it alone. That we need to walk and talk with our Savior every day of our lives.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." -Proverbs 3:5-6
Regardless of your pain, regardless of your past, regardless of any emotional issues, you are loved. You are cherished. You have a heavenly father who wants nothing more than to heal you.
Being repaired is not a quick or easy process. Put your broken pieces in the hands of the One who loves you dearly. He who knew you before you were born. He who gave His own son for you. He who will repair you with gold.
Many people around the world need to hear this message. So, we must go and find them: the girl at school who carries the weight of a broken home on her shoulders, the grown woman who thinks her sins have taken her too far to be forgiven, the little girl who does not even know of the man who died for her.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." -Matthew 28:19-20