I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.
But I trusted in You, O LORD: I said, “You are my God.”

In You, O LORD, do I put my trust;
let me never be ashamed;
deliver me in Your righteousness.
Bow down Your ear to me; deliver me speedily.
Be my strong rock, for a house of defense to save me.
For You are my rock and my fortress;
therefore for Your name’s sake lead me, and guide me.
…You are my strength.
Into Your hand I commit my spirit:
You have redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy:
for You have considered my trouble;
You have known my soul in adversities.

Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble.
For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing:
my strength fails because of my iniquity,
and my bones are consumed.
I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.
But I trusted in You, O LORD: I said, “You are my God.”
My times are in Your hand…
Make Your face to shine upon Your servant:
save me for Your mercies’ sake.
Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon You.

Oh how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for them that fear You;
which You have wrought for them that trust in You before the sons of men!
You shall hide them in the secret of Your presence from the pride of man;
You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
Blessed be the LORD, for He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city.
For I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before Your eyes.”
Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications when I cried unto You.

O love the LORD, all you His saints:
for the LORD preserves the faithful….
Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart,
all you that hope in the LORD.

❧      ❧      ❧

Kintsugi, also Kintsukuroi, means “to repair with gold.” This is the Japanese art of repairing pottery with gold or silver, with the understanding that the piece is more beautiful for having been broken.

Your weakness stands in stark contrast to God’s remarkable strength. No matter where you are, no matter what you may be facing, God can use and even transform your darkest moment into a thing of beauty. When you feel broken beyond repair, God’s grace can make you whole once more. Time can never undo what has been done, but Christ can use that hardship, suffering, and pain to make you more beautiful in His sight.

We do not choose to be broken, but whether through someone else’s action or our own, our lives can become so fractured that it feels as if nothing can be set right. But if we give our broken heart to Christ, He can take our shattered selves and make something beautiful from the pieces. Like the gold of Kintsugi, God fills all the cracks with His strength, love, and grace to make us whole once more, and even more valuable than ever before.

Healing does not return us
to what we were before the hurt.
Healing comes when Christ
through pain and sorrow makes us
stronger than we were before.

ℜ         ℜ         ℜ

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia. For a fascinating article about Kintsugi art, read “Kintsugi: The Art of Broken Pieces” by Christopher Jobson at thisiscolossal.com.