We fall, we hurt ourselves, and spend the rest of our lives attempting to cover the scars. What if we didn’t do that? What if instead of trying to wipe away all evidence of our pain, we allow God to heal it and proudly wear the scar as a badge of honor?

Kintsugi is a Japanese form of repairing pottery that uses gold, silver or platinum to fuse the broken pieces together. The idea is to recognize the history of the dish, enhancing the repair instead of trying to hide it. The finished piece is more beautiful than the original, and the precious metal adds value.

God is able to fuse our brokenness completely as if nothing ever happened, but I believe He’d rather we display our scars, knowing we’re more valuable after having gone through the fight.

The pristine china cup is only pristine because it has been treated carefully, then put away. It never gets broken because it hardly gets used. The chipped plate, however, shows its true value to the household. Used day in and day out, its toughness is appreciated and celebrated.

I don’t want to be the china plate. Beautiful to look at, but delicate in the fray of a busy kitchen. I want to be the chipped ceramic plate, constantly in God’s service.