“God uses cracked pots and I’m the visual aid!”
That’s a quote from the tiny but mighty Patsy Clairmont. If you’re not familiar with Patsy, she’s a Christian author and speaker who uses her quick wit and laughter to share her faith.
We chuckle. It’s funny thinking of ourselves as cracked pots, isn’t it?
If we ponder that a bit more thoughtfully though, we may see the power in being . . . broken.
We all share broken places in our lives. Failure, fear, mistakes, shame, loss. We’re all an array of cracked pots, aren’t we?
In Japan, broken objects are repaired with lines of gold filling in the cracks. The breakage and the repair become part of the object’s history which ultimately adds to its beauty.
The imperfection makes it more beautiful.
Imagine an antique vase sitting on shelf, belonging to generations of a family. One day, a rambunctious toddler accidentally bumps into that shelf, causing the vase to tumble to the floor and shatter into a few pieces. To throw the vase away would be to destroy its unique story. But, to repair the vase is to give it new life, allowing it to continue bearing its story.
In 2nd Corinthians 4:7-10, God’s word says this:
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be made manifest in our body.”
You see, healing begins in those broken places.
The cracks, our scars, are where God’s light shines through, not only to mend our brokenness, but for others to see God’s work in and through us. Consider this when you feel broken.
From an unlikely lump of clay God creates a marvelously beautiful vessel. A vessel He can use to radiate His light through our cracks and holes.
All we need to do is . . . share our broken pieces.
