KINTSUGI

I broke my favorite coffee cup the other day, and I was way more bummed than I expected to be. It was the perfect size and shape, just right for the cappuccinos I like to make. You know how it is when something small feels bigger than it should.

When it happened, I was reminded of Kintsugi. It’s a Japanese art form where broken pottery is repaired with gold. Instead of hiding the cracks, the artist highlights them. The brokenness becomes part of the vessel’s story, not something to be ashamed of.

I may never drink coffee from that cup again, but its purpose has shifted. It is no longer just a cup. It is a reminder that something broken can still be held, still be valued, and still tell a story. The gold catches the light and draws your eye to what holds it together, not to what broke it apart.

That idea echoes something Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4. He says, “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.”

Paul is not pretending the jar is strong. He is doing the opposite. He is reminding us that the fragility is the point. Our weakness makes it obvious that the power at work in us does not come from us. The cracks do not disqualify the vessel. They reveal the source of the light.

When we place our brokenness in Jesus’ hands, He does not erase our story. He redeems it. What once felt like a scar becomes a place where His glory is seen more clearly. Our lives begin to point away from ourselves and toward Him, the One who restores, heals, and holds us together.

There is no power on earth that can do what Jesus does. When His light shines through fragile vessels like us, it becomes clear that the beauty, the healing, and the strength are not self made. They are gifts of grace. Our story does not end in brokenness. It becomes a testimony that invites others to see the Artist behind the work.

Arise and Shine
What broken places has God restored in your life? How might your story help someone else see His power and grace at work?