Kintsugi

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.