Kintsugi - Golden Joinery

Kintsugi is an art form believed to have originated in Japan. It is said that it has similarities related to wabi-sabi, or the embracing of the flawed or imperfect. I have always loved the pieces that I've seen that have had this technique applied to it, the gold (I've only seen the gold, but silver and platinum have been used as well) seems to set the piece off, bringing a new brilliance, and the sight of the broken pieces reminds me that not everything is worthless when broken.

That brings me to a thought I had this morning, and I've contemplated it before. The Bible says that God uses the weak to confound the strong, that broken vessels are used for His purpose. Examples of the weak to confound the strong bring to mind David and Goliath, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. The broken vessel? There is a story, not in the Bible, about a man who used a broken vessel to bring water to his master's house. Every day, he went, with two pots on a yoke, to gather water. He would start with two full pots, but by the time he returned to the Master's house, one pot was only half full. The pot was upset over this and apologised to the man, who gently told it that it was doing good things. The next day, it was the same. Two full pots at the start, one and half pots at the end. Again, the pot lamented. Then the worker told it this. "Did you not notice the beautiful flowers on your side of the road, but there were none on the other side? I knew of your flaw and used it to create beauty. I threw flower seeds on that side, and every day, you, with your flaw, watered them. Now I have something beautiful to look at on my journey back to my Master's house.

Basically, that's how the story goes, I paraphrased a bit, but it brings my point home. Even with a flaw, you can still be used. God, in His wisdom takes those flaws and creates something beautiful, even if we don't see them...and we may not in this lifetime, but the beauty will be shown.
The same with the broken pieces. We may not always have the beauty of gold, silver, or platinum showing where our cracks and breaks may be, but they are there, creating a new vessel, that in time will be shown by the One who can make all things new.

Are you broken? Do you have flaws? We all do, but we can trust our God who will take the broken pieces, and take those flaws and use them, putting them back into place, creating a vessel that is more beautiful than the one before. The beauty may not be evident right away, or even in this lifetime, but we will eventually see it and be in awe.

Have a wonderful and blessed holiday weekend. And for those who have lost loved ones in service to this great Country, thank you and God bless you.