It was April 2015. I remember the clouds had been gathering for days, just waiting for the chance to break. The Autumn rains are like this, and when it rains, it pours.
It was no surprise when the water rose and floods cut us off from the main road. It didn’t surprise me when the power went out.
Who hasn’t had the power go out? Who has been left in the dark?
I remember the feeling of darkness. Not sitting in the dark, but being utterly engulfed by it. Surrounded. Drowning in darkness. The darkness of the soul. Depression.
I walk into rooms and flick the lightswitches. Nothing happens. I don’t really know why I do it, habit I guess. But I get by without power. The torches come out, candles, even my phone.
But in the darkest moments of depression, there are torches, no candles, no phones. Only brokenness.
Kintsugi is an old Japanese art. An artist will take broken pieces of pottery, gluing them back together using a mixture of resin and gold, to create something stronger and more beautiful than before.
Paul wrote in the Bible that God works everything into something good for people who follow him. It sounds like a platitude. But I don’t think this is what Paul is doing.
What if Paul was saying God is the master kintsugi artist? Someone who can take broken lives and makes them beautiful.
May you come to recognise the scars, chips and cracks of your life are opportunities to see God create something beautiful.
Reflection Questions
- What are some of the storms that you have experienced?
- What are some of the things you look to for hope during the storms you go through?
- How does the image of kintsugi help you trust God with your personal brokenness?
- Are there areas of your life you need to trust God more with?
I am a pastor, blogger and speaker. I help ordinary people connect with an extraordinary God, so they can follow Jesus in their everyday life.
