Caesura: Beautifully Broken

Welcome to another Caesura. In this season of preparation we continue to journey together and take mid-week pauses. Take this time to reflect on your journey and spend time with Him.

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I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

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In a distant town of many tongues, the sun began to rise and with it a bustling market place came to life. On a well-worn road, just outside the market stood a pottery. Outside many vases lined up creating a rainbow of ceramic soldiers in perfect formation. Behind in a small workshop was the potter, putting the final touches to one of his masterpieces. As the sun continued to rise, he had to stop working with the clay, so it wouldn't dry out. He lifted his masterpiece to the kiln ready to finish off yet another beautiful piece of art.

The potter was used to this routine now, and over the course of his life completed and sold thousands, if not millions of vases. As he fired up the kiln, his thoughts turned to the rest of his day. Hundreds of people would come and go. As the sun would begin to set, as it always did, the sweet relief of nighttime temperatures would mean he could sleep in comfort, only to wake up early the following morning to sculpt another masterpiece without the heat of the rising sun.

That particular day, a woman came into the shop looking for a centerpiece for her home. After deciding on a particularly colourful vase, she bought the vase and returned home. That night, she couldn't wait to show her husband the beautiful piece she had bought. As she moved from left to right, trying to get it in the perfect place on the bookcase, she lost her balance and quickly found herself on the floor. The vase wobbled side-to-side and she prayed it would balance back out but in slow-motion she watched helplessly as it fell and smashed into many pieces. Absolutely devastated she picked up the pieces. 'How could she have been so silly?'

The following day, she returned to the potter to get a new vase. When she arrived and explained to him what had happened, he asked her what she had done with the pieces. If she still had them, he would like to have them back. Utterly confused, the woman returned to him with pieces. He asked her, if she trusted him, to return to her the following day when he would give her an even more beautiful vase.

So the next day, she returned and there waiting for her was a beautiful vase, covered by streams of gold. The potter had repaired her vase but rather than trying to hide the brokenness, he had shown it off, adding immeasurable beauty to the vase. She couldn't wait to show her husband this original, beautiful piece of pottery.

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Much like the vase, there are many times in our life when we break and it can feel like we are not beautiful, not worthy, and just broken. But you see, like the woman in the story, if we take our brokenness to the potter, our Heavenly Father and allow Him to put us back together, He will take something that is broken and make it whole again - celebrating the flaws we had.

In Galatians, we see that our lives are not ours but rather His work through us. If we allow ourselves to let Jesus be seen even through our scars, our broken hearts, our hurt and pain, then gold will swell up and fill the gaps and He will make you whole again.

One of the greatest lessons my earthly father has taught me is this: inside all of us we have a God-shaped hole, we can try to fill it with everything there is on earth but nothing will. The only thing that will fill us, is God. Similarly, my mum would often say to me, "remember whose you are" When I was younger I thought she meant her's but now I am older I know she means God's. You see, we are all God's children, broken - yes, useless - no. So, today, will you allow God to fill the hole in your heart and use your beautifully broken life to do amazing works of good?

You're beautifully broken And you can be whole again Even a million scars doesn't change whose you are You're worthy Beautifully broken