I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery. . . . But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.”

— Psalm 31:12, 14

There is a form of Japanese pottery repair called kintsugi. When a pot is broken, the artist will repair the broken piece with gold to seal the break. The goal of the artist is not to restore it to its original condition but to draw attention and create beauty where the pottery is broken. There is new strength and beauty at the place of the breaks.

One of the great gifts I have appreciated from the Roseland Christian Ministries community is that beauty and strength are found in the places where we are weak. There’s no faking it. Our motto is “Come as You Are”—and people come broken.

This doesn’t mean we wallow in the broken places. But it does mean that we can live with an openness about our wounds and hurts. There is tremendous freedom in this. This is a gift that God offers to anyone willing to accept it.

The places of brokenness, vulnerability, and shortcomings are the places where the presence of Christ heals, dwells, and brings about new life. Can we come to Scripture, prayer, fellowship, worship, and relationships with a willingness for Christ and Christian community to take those broken pieces and make our lives a strong, beautiful gift to the communities we are a part of?

Lord, thank you for reminding us that we aren’t perfect and that we can’t pretend to be. We come broken. Please make us a strong and beautiful instrument for your glory. Amen.