Mended with Gold
Mended with Gold
Many times over the last year, I would woefully be reminded of my fragility. A hurtful word would easily pierce my heart. News of yet another injustice would send me into overwhelm. Fears were realized, and I wasn’t as brave as I thought I’d be. Even in my greatest attempts, I fell short in loving perfectly. If I fixated on my failure, my wounds, my fears, I would easily lose sight of God’s grace, His healing, and His faithfulness.
Carrying the remnants of last year’s disappointments, I attended an art therapy retreat, where we processed with the Lord our brokenness. The assignment was based on an interpretation of Kintsugi, the Japanese art of restoring broken pottery with a golden lacquer. The result is a beautiful pot or plate, with visible metallic lines along its fractures. Instead of hiding the brokenness, the vulnerability is highlighted and celebrated with shiny gold, and the vessel is restored and once again able to serve its original purpose.
As I let the Lord highlight areas in my heart that still needed healing, I was not met with shame. Alternatively, I was safe to embrace these parts of me, and grew in my awareness of His amazing grace! God wasn’t asking me to be strong or have “grit” or be perfect. The expectations I had taken on were not His. He invited me to breathe deep and be undone. He was removing the pressure.
Painting the gold onto my broken pieces, I realized that it wasn’t the faults that were being glorified, but His restorative power, His strength being made known through my weakness.
The hurtful words of others were as chips along my rough edges. Contrastly, the glimmering pigment beautifully illustrated the Father’s words of life, mending me back together again.
I had finally put the pieces back together and noticed that the vase had expanded. Through the process of being broken, and restored, the lacquer had literally created more space within the vessel. The trials and sorrows of life attempted to decommission me, but God took what the enemy intended for harm, and repurposed it. My capacity to endure and carry the love of Christ has increased. All is for His glory.
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed- always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.” 2 Corinthians 4:7-11
No longer do I need to hide my frailty. Instead, I can rejoice in it, for the excellence of this power belongs to God and not me, His strength, not mine. I can trust in His plans and purposes, that I will not be destroyed or thrown away. Today, I am walking in greater freedom and revelation of Jesus’ love than I ever have, and yet I know there is more to come!
My prayer for you, is that you can see your flaws, weaknesses, and wounds without judging yourself or taking on the shame He already paid for. I pray for a deep revelation of the power of the work of Christ to heal, redeem and make you whole. May His love and grace overwhelm you today!
-Hunter Smith
APRIL 21, 2021
Many times over the last year, I would woefully be reminded of my fragility. A hurtful word would easily pierce my heart. News of yet another injustice would send me into overwhelm. Fears were realized, and I wasn’t as brave as I thought I’d be. Even in my greatest attempts, I fell short in loving perfectly. If I fixated on my failure, my wounds, my fears, I would easily lose sight of God’s grace, His healing, and His faithfulness.
Carrying the remnants of last year’s disappointments, I attended an art therapy retreat, where we processed with the Lord our brokenness. The assignment was based on an interpretation of Kintsugi, the Japanese art of restoring broken pottery with a golden lacquer. The result is a beautiful pot or plate, with visible metallic lines along its fractures. Instead of hiding the brokenness, the vulnerability is highlighted and celebrated with shiny gold, and the vessel is restored and once again able to serve its original purpose.
As I let the Lord highlight areas in my heart that still needed healing, I was not met with shame. Alternatively, I was safe to embrace these parts of me, and grew in my awareness of His amazing grace! God wasn’t asking me to be strong or have “grit” or be perfect. The expectations I had taken on were not His. He invited me to breathe deep and be undone. He was removing the pressure.
Painting the gold onto my broken pieces, I realized that it wasn’t the faults that were being glorified, but His restorative power, His strength being made known through my weakness.
The hurtful words of others were as chips along my rough edges. Contrastly, the glimmering pigment beautifully illustrated the Father’s words of life, mending me back together again.
I had finally put the pieces back together and noticed that the vase had expanded. Through the process of being broken, and restored, the lacquer had literally created more space within the vessel. The trials and sorrows of life attempted to decommission me, but God took what the enemy intended for harm, and repurposed it. My capacity to endure and carry the love of Christ has increased. All is for His glory.
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed- always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.” 2 Corinthians 4:7-11
No longer do I need to hide my frailty. Instead, I can rejoice in it, for the excellence of this power belongs to God and not me, His strength, not mine. I can trust in His plans and purposes, that I will not be destroyed or thrown away. Today, I am walking in greater freedom and revelation of Jesus’ love than I ever have, and yet I know there is more to come!
My prayer for you, is that you can see your flaws, weaknesses, and wounds without judging yourself or taking on the shame He already paid for. I pray for a deep revelation of the power of the work of Christ to heal, redeem and make you whole. May His love and grace overwhelm you today!
-Hunter Smith
APRIL 21, 2021
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