Kintsugi. I only learned about this recently, but it’s the Japanese tradition of repairing broken pottery using liquid gold, silver or platinum. The precious metals forever demonstrate the site of prior cracks, but their presence creates wholeness and adds value to what would otherwise be rubble.
I have thought about the symbolism of this over and over, and it’s beautiful.
Isaiah 64:8 says, “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.”
We are made by God, in His image. But we are human, and we are inherently flawed and broken. In being a broken vessel, we have grief over lost pieces, pain from sharp edges, vanity over our changing looks, and pride over our supposed self worth.
The beauty is that God meets us in our brokenness. Our brokenness and our scars are part of our humanity; they do not make us useless or ugly to Him.
God’s grace is the gold, freely poured upon us by Jesus’ sacrifice. He gives us worth, gives us value. And our reclaimed lives will witness to the world if we dare bare our scars or share our stories.
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So, as we look at Isaiah 66:2 today: “All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word,” let’s remember a few things.
We are incapable of earning, winning, buying or deserving God’s attention – let alone His love and devotion. And, yet, He says that we are enough. He picks up our pieces and restores us to new life.
We have no reason or excuse to be prideful. Let our words, our prayers, and our lives reflect His goodness and our dependence on His grace. He deserves the credit of our mouths and the reverence of our hearts.
The story of Christianity has never been one of perfection, but of redemption. To God be the glory.
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Beautiful. Oh how I struggle with perfection: looks, dress, my music, writings, teachings, leading. God is not looking for perfection for it can not be obtained. He is perfection. We strive and strive to keep up with what the world deems as “perfection”. We were meant to glorify the creator; the One who came as a babe yet created the hay He was laying on. The One who created his earthly parents. This is the God we should be worshiping instead of the world’s projections of who we should be.
Amen Linda! I struggle with the same thing (all except the music part. I love music but am not a musician ;)). I am praying that both you and I feel the intense freedom of God’s love washing over us today as we walk in victory. Be blessed my sister in Christ!!