Kintsugi
- Steve Boots
- Dec 9, 2025
- 2 min read
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
In Japanese culture, kintsugi is the art of repairing broken pottery with a lacquer mixed with gold. The finished product is not just a patched-up version of the original. It becomes something entirely new, more exquisite and more valuable than before. The word kintsugi literally means to join with gold. Instead of hiding the cracks, the artist highlights them. The repair lines accent the fact that what was once broken is now stronger and more meaningful than before.
Our lives often feel like that broken pottery. We experience shattering moments—failures, losses, disappointments, seasons of wandering, or wounds we never expected to carry. The world often tells us to conceal those fractures, to pretend nothing was ever broken. Yet God works differently. He does not discard the damaged parts of our stories. He picks them up and begins the slow, deliberate work of restoration.
Kintsugi takes time. Piece by piece, the artist rebuilds what was destroyed. In the same way, God patiently restores us—not in haste, not with shortcuts, but with a love that is careful and exact. And just as gold binds the pottery, God uses precious “binding agents” in our lives: His Word and prayer. Scripture becomes the gold that fills the cracks of confusion, pain, and sin. Prayer becomes the bond that holds us close to Him as He shapes us into something stronger than before. When you look back on the seasons that broke you, you may begin to see the golden seams. The loss that drew you closer to Christ. The failure that humbled you and redirected you. The valley that deepened your faith in God's plan. These golden lines do not diminish your worth—they proclaim God’s power in your weakness.
What’s remarkable about kintsugi is that the restored vessel is tougher and more resilient than the original. The same is true for Christians. When God heals what was shattered, His grace strengthens the places where we once felt weakest. Your story becomes a testimony. The very areas where you’ve been hurt become places for His glory to shine through.
So don’t despise the cracks. Don’t hide the fractures. Bring the broken pieces and put them in the hands of the Master. Let Him fix your life with the gold of His Word, the gold of His presence, and the gold of His unfailing love. You will emerge not merely repaired but transformed into something that brings glory to the Master.
Read also: 2 Corinthians 4:7-10
Quote of the day: “God uses broken things—broken soil to grow, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, and broken lives to give His light.” — Vance Havner
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