“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Psalm 147:3

Have you ever dropped something and watched it shatter into pieces? And then, if certain broken pieces are able to be fixed, they normally find a temporary home on the shelf, awaiting the “Super Glue” repair. But then over time, we think that it will take too much work to fix what’s broken and we just buy a new one.

Ever felt broken, shattered, set on a shelf, or tossed aside? And it certainly doesn't help when the mindset of our culture whispers, “Don’t let anyone see the broken pieces of our lives or the flawed areas.”

In Japan, they’ve made an art out of restoring broken things. An ancient practice called Kintsugi, meaning “golden joinery” or “to patch with gold,” is an age-old custom of repairing cracked pottery with real gold, not only fixing the break, but greatly increasing the value of the piece.

The heart of it all is turning what is broken into beautiful, cherished pieces, by sealing the cracks and crevices with lines of fine gold. Instead of hiding the flaws, Kintsugi artists highlight them, creating a whole new design and bringing unique beauty to the original piece. The pottery actually becomes more beautiful and valuable in the restoration process because, though it was once broken, it not only has history, but now a new story!

The art of Kintsugi reinforces a profound belief that the repair can make things, not only as good as they were before, but better than new.

Wow! Let that set in for a moment!

There are plenty of lies that whisper to our deepest wounds at our weakest moments that say, “You are worthless and valueless.” When we let those lies set into our thinking, then we feel the need to hide our scars from sin and shame. But it's precisely at those moments that God breaks through all that mess and reminds us, “You are never beyond healing. You are never too shattered for repair. Don't be ashamed of your scars and don’t be afraid of the broken places in your life.” I remind all of us that we have an amazing story to tell of just what the Lord can do!

We have a Healer who works behind the scenes, mending and creating a better work of art, more than we ever dreamed possible. He makes all things beautiful in His time!

Remember that the jagged edges of our lives are the results of the broken places in our lives, but they can be made smooth as silk by the power of God’s grace. The jagged edges tell the most amazing story of victory from God’s perspective!

I am excited about our new ministry coming in the fall. Celebrate Recover is going to impact many lives that are stuck in hurtful habits that try to defeat them daily. Let’s start praying for a mighty move of God through this ministry at FBC!

God bless you,

Brother Paul