Kintsugi: Repairing and Appreciating the Broken Heart

The key is not to hide or disguise the broken parts, but to honor them.

As Legend Has It…

An ancient king found one of his favorite Chinese bowls broken by a guest and sent it back to China for repair. When it returned, he found that it had been crudely stapled back together. The big, ugly staples marred the beauty of the piece and probably did not make it all that useful.

Disappointed, the king charged his own pottery wizards with finding a better way to restore the bowl.

Kintsugi was born when an artisan mixed gold with lacquer resin and used it to piece the bowl back together. Rather than trying to restore the bowl to its original condition, the craftsman found beauty in the breaks and flaws, and highlighted them by making the mended areas stand out. The result was artful.

Your Imperfections As Beauty

How many times do we wish we could go back in history and undo the hurts and mistakes that marred us?

A lot of us feel that life has damaged us. I personally understand the deep pain and sense of failure a person can feel after experiencing a failed marriage.

But what if … Seriously, what if those cracks, fractures, and injuries were just what was needed to inspire others? What if we were to use our injuries and flaws to make us more whole by showing more grace, compassion, and kindness to others? What if our vulnerable and weak spots were just what we needed to make ourselves more beautiful?

Over the centuries, Japanese artists began to break perfectly good China so they could infuse it with the beautiful Kintsugi nature. The result would always be one-of-a-kind treasures.

Yes, the repaired area is a visual reminder of the imperfections and flaws. And yes, we might try to hide our cracks, chips, and fractures from the world, tempted to shy away from letting others see that we are imperfect.

But the repaired areas might do more than make us more multifaceted and wiser. Could the repaired areas make us even stronger? In Kintsugi, that’s often the case.

In my case, the pain and anguish from a failed marriage is one of the reasons I am so deeply passionate about helping people avoid failed marriages today. My motivation comes from a time of great weakness and vulnerability, and my passion to be of service to women is much, much stronger.

Henry T. Blackaby says, “God does not call the qualified; but qualifies the called.” Perhaps the parts you consider broken and want to keep hidden or feel ashamed of are just the parts that are needed in order to do your life’s calling. 

Perhaps that part(s) of you that you want to keep tucked away is just the part the world needs to see or is the motivation to overcome your particular challenges. After all, how can our “light” shine out if we had no cracks?

Honor your scars and broken parts. They show you survived and can heal and bounce back.
Vulnerabilities can be your greatest strength and can be used to inspire others.

What part of this do you resonate with? Are you currently hiding your repaired places, or embracing the beauty and strength of your mended places? And how are these mended places affecting your relationships?

Here’s to the Beauty in Healing,