My Mom told me this story when I was a little girl, in tears after I had broken one of her china dishes. You see, I LOVE everything china!!! And food really does tastes better served on a beautiful china dish! 👍😊 When my Mom was 5 years old she accidentally broke the saucer under one of her Grandmother Nichols’ fine china teacups. Panicked and thinking she would be severely punished, she started to cry. In an act of love her grandma bent down, put her arms around her, looked in her eyes and said, “Olive, it’s okay! It’s just made of sand so lets sweep it up and toss it out.” Years later, I found myself saying the exact same thing to my children when dishes were accidentally broken. And the tradition keeps moving forward. The other day my sweet granddaughter Rocket did the same thing to one of my china dishes, and what did I do? Exactly what my great-great grandma did, I said “Rocket it’s ok. It’s just made of sand so lets sweep it up and toss it out.”
This story about tossing away broken dishes has been passed down in our family for generations, because no one could fix them! I think it made everyone feel better but the dishes. 😂 I pondered upon this family parable (ya, I do that 🤓) as I was sweeping up the broken pieces of china with my granddaughter, and this recollection came to mind.
In Asia, Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending areas of the breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. This process makes the piece of pottery more valuable to the owner than it was before it was broken. Isn’t that ironic? But, isn’t that just beautiful? Instead of throwing broken but valuable pieces of pottery away, they repair them with a fine metal, making them even more valuable than before.
Maybe the Japanese pondered more on broken dish pieces than my ancestors did. But what I do know, is that our Father in Heaven ponders upon us continually!!! Especially when we are hurt or damaged and in need of repair.
How often do we feel like giving up when we are broken? It’s so easy to listen to those negative voices of discouragement that try to tell us our broken self is permanent. And yet, there’s a flicker of hope inside us—the light of Christ saying, “No, they aren’t permanent!” Yes, there are fractures (consequences) from poor choices, but your fixing and healing has already been taken care of by the greatest physician ever! And... you are worth more than gold to Him! 😉 All we have to do is believe in and ask Heavenly Father for His Son’s help. The purpose of this life is to become better and as we are tried and tested we WILL be broken. We can fix anything broken by trusting Christ and knowing He WILL mold us so we can achieve our greatest potential.
A wise man said, “I know that God loves broken things, there is something in the plan that requires it. It takes a broken cloud of rain to nourish the earth, it takes broken earth to allow a broken seed to come through, it takes broken grain to make bread, it takes broken bread to nourish us.”
When we are broken, we are like clay in the hands of a skilled potter. “Broken” in the Bible is symbolic to being humble (moldable) and teachable (pliable) so that we can easily be shaped in the hands of the Master. When our hearts are broken, we are humbled—completely open and able to access and feel the Spirit of God and recognize our absolute dependence on Him in ALL things.
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 51:16-17)
God loves putting back our broken pieces because it’s His work and glory, to help us become healed and whole. 🥰 When we see our flaws and utilize Gods help we have the promise that our joy will be full. As Mother Eve said, “It is better that we pass through the sorrow (brokenness) so that we may know the difference between good and evil as we become wise” (valued and usable). I know that God has great patience and as we follow our Savior’s example we will be made whole through His Atonement.
Say this over and over to yourself: HE LOVES ME!
I know He loves me when I do great things and He loves me when I could do better. He loves me when I serve others and He loves me when I ignore those promptings to help. He loves me in my greatest joys and He loves me in my darkest moments. He just loves me!!! Why? Because we are His children!!!
A friend told me when the Savior says “Come unto me,” it means He knows the way out and He knows the way up. He knows the way to heal and help, because He has walked it!
Let us all raise our broken china cups up and toast to His infinite mercy, because “He Knows the way because He is THE WAY!”
Have the best Sunday ever!!!