KINTSUGI
During the service today a word of sorts was put into my
mind and although I wasn’t sure at the time what it was, it did become clearer
to me upon further reflection and contemplation. I saw a broken vessel (like a
bowl or plate or jar or pot, it could have been anything like that) but that
vessel although broken at one time was now in my mind fully repaired and useful
once again. What I saw in my mind’s eye was ‘Kintsugi’( yes I did look it up to
get the name right), something broken made whole again.
The thought that came to me was that
all of us have been that broken pot at least once in our lives and probably a
lot more than that. God, the artist of all things is just as likely to repair
our faults and cracks and holes in much the same way as a Kintsugi artist. He
makes and keeps us whole without necessarily hiding what has gone on before.
Perhaps maybe even emphasizing that crack, making it noticeable to those that
wish to look, making it obvious that although broken in the past the repair has
been made and now this vessel is something can be used and treasured once
again. When I look at some people with all their cracks and chips and holes I
can see where lives that have been something less than desirable and know that
their life experiences go way beyond my own experiences. Many times I have
learned of a past aspect or incident in someone else’s life that just blows me
away that they are still here with us and all that comes to mind is Praise God.
I’ve learned that when God gets involved and begins to heal and repair all of
it, the life being lived becomes something even more special and treasured than
it was before. It becomes something of great value to God, and to the person
living this life and usually to the surrounding lives as well. God doesn’t
necessarily use gold or silver or platinum for his work, what He uses is so
much more valuable than anything of this realm, way beyond anything that we
could probably conceive of, He uses Himself, His spirit His thought, His
essence. That is what makes us broken down and cracked vessels so special,
we’ve been repaired by the best, with the best of materials and because of that
our value is beyond measure.
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by
mending the areas of breakage with gold, silver, or platinum, it treats
breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something
to disguise. Highlighting the cracks and repairs as simply an event in the life
of an object rather than allowing its service to end at the time of its damage
or breakage. Kintsugi is the general concept of highlighting or emphasizing
imperfections, visualizing mends and seams as an additive or an area to
celebrate or focus on, rather than absence or missing pieces.
