There is no denying that every one of us is broken, at least to some extent. We’ve all faced things during our lives that have affected us in some way. Some of us have faced horrors in our lives that would cause others to shrivel, while others have experienced difficulties and heartbreak that we wish we could have run from. Either way, we have all been broken in some way by the things of our past.
Often when we think of things broken we think of a mess, chaos, or uselessness. We may consider throwing it out with the trash, not worthy of our time to repair. We may fear that even with mending the cracks will still be visible, a scar of evidence of its failure.
But what if instead, we looked at those cracks as art in themselves? As part of the beauty that makes up a person? As we help one heal, we create a new piece of art, with more depth than before, places where light can shine through in ways never before?
Our brokenness is a part of who we are, whether we like it or not. Just as with clay, it forms and shapes us into who we are. We can try to ignore it, to go about our daily lives as though nothing is amiss, but eventually things will fall apart. The contents we so desperately try to hold on to will seep out, leaking no matter how much we try to balance it all.
But as we heal the leaking slows and we are able to to carry on once again. Our cracks heal, forming designs in our makeup, unique and beautiful. It inspires others to overcome and press forth in their own story.
This by no means comes easily but is a journey, and journeys are best walked with others who build and encourage, who invest in you. With those who see you not as the mess you feel, but as the work of art you will become.