From Brokenness to Beauty

In our home we have a very difficult time with dishes, bowls, and glasses. It seems we all end up breaking them so over the years we have gone through lots of sets. Recently, my daughter and I solved this problem by buying everyday dishes that are not breakable. However, I still managed to split two of them. Thankfully though the remainder have survived.

I'll never forget the time when I was a child and I tried desperately to repair damage I'd done to a vase. I attempted to glue it back together but there was a telltale line that showed the blemish. I realized then that there was no way to fix the break. It would always be visible. The vase would never be the same. The beauty of the piece was gone forever.

A few months ago the image of broken china that was fastened together with threads of gold amazed me. The finished product was gorgeous. The crack was masked by the beauty of gold. Tonight God reminded me of this concept. Just like shattered porcelain, I was prompted about my own life. Brokenness has described so much of my life. In many ways I have been just like the fragments of china I have smashed over the years. Putting all these pieces back together takes the work of an artist. Yet, God is that artist and He is working on each of us to put these pieces of brokenness back together in a way that only He can do. No hurt, sorrow or disappointment is too hard for Him to handle. God does not waste our hurts. Our life in God's hands is just like the masterful art of fragmented china that was pasted together with threads of gold. This is the work God wants to do in each of our lives. All we have to do is ask Him to heal us. One day at a time He will begin to help us mend and in time good will come out of the pain and suffering in our lives. God's artwork will become something beautiful in His perfect time. Good will come out of our trials. We will become ornaments of elegance and charm. He will use our brokenness to bring out beauty.