Broken Vessel

There have been times in my life that I thought I was so broken, even beyond repair. Have you ever felt that way?! Have you ever felt so discouraged, beaten down, ruined, overwhelmed, and even hopeless that you wondered how in the world could the Lord ever make you whole again?! Isaiah 64:8 says, “But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” It also says in Ephesians 2:10 that ““For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

Do you know what the Japanese do with broken vessels? They take the cracked vessels and add GOLD, making an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art. The inspiration behind this work is to not hide the brokenness but instead to use the gold to illuminate and expose the damage, causing it to “shine.” If we allow the Lord to do His incredible work within us, He can actually remake us into something more unique, beautiful and resilient because His work goes much deeper. It’s an inner work of the soul. When we are damaged and Christ restores us, we can become even more radiant as we reflect His glory and His goodness!!! He reveals His glory and power by mending that which was broken and restoring it!!!

Instead of focusing on the cracks, hurt, pain, scars, disappointments, failure, disillusionment, shame, and ugliness, let’s focus our eyes on the ONE who has the desire and power to make us whole again for His glory. “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (2 Corinthians 4: 7)