KINTSUGI — Beauty in the Brokenness

As fellow fly fishermen, some of you may have seen or read about tenkara. It is a simplified form of fly fishing originating in Japan, characterized by its long, telescopic rods, fixed line attached directly to the rod tip, and reliance on simple, impressionistic fly patterns (called kebari) and skillful technique over complex gear. Unlike traditional fly fishing, it does not use a reel, with the line directly tied to the end of the rod and the fish being fought by manipulating the rod itself.

Last year, at an ALTAR Fly Fishing Retreat in the Driftless Region, I had the opportunity to spend time and fish with a world-class tenkara rod builder and fisherman. Regardless of the fact that our fearless leader (and renowned Japanese translator), Kenny Klimes, told him that tenkara is actually a Japanese word for “too cheap to buy reel”— the master tenkara rod builder’s rods were truly works of art.

Not long ago, I became aware of another unique and beautiful art form from Japan called Kintsugi. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold — built on the idea that in embracing flaws and imperfections, you can create an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art.

Every break is unique and instead of repairing an item like new, the 400-year-old technique actually highlights the “scars” as a part of the design. Using this as a metaphor for healing brokenness teaches us an important lesson: Sometimes in the process of repairing things that have broken, we can actually end up with something more unique, beautiful and resilient.

If you’re like myself and many of the people I know, you have, or are presently experiencing brokenness in your life. We live in a broken world that has been broken since the time of Adam and Eve — and the world is full of broken people. Brokenness is a part of life, but that doesn’t make it any easier to overcome.

My two divorces were the times of most brokenness in my life. To me, they were cataclysmic. In fact, I sometimes refer to them as Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Following these events there were pieces of me that were so shattered that I didn’t know if I would survive.

God used the rock-bottom moment of my first divorce to redeem and restore me in a way that only God can. He gave me life and he put me back together. I ended up actually better than before. I was a new creation, because now I had his Spirit in me. He took the broken pieces of the old me and glued them together with something more valuable than gold. He did it with the blood of Jesus.

Have you ever tried putting yourself back together when you’re falling apart? When your life is crashing toward the floor, and you have no way to catch it, what do you do? What can you do? We can’t put ourselves back together. Every time we try to glue the pieces into place, we spring a leak. Sometimes, we can no more repair ourselves anymore than a shattered bowl can repair itself. That’s why we need a Savior! We need Jesus to come into our lives, scoop up the pieces, and put us back together. Some of our breaks are so severe or so out of our control that only God can restore us. He is the only one who has the power, the glue, and know-how to fix what is broken.

It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, what lies hidden in your past, or how unworthy you think you are. You can choose to let God pick up your pieces right now and make you whole.

Here’s how:

First, admit that you need help and that you are broken. Sometimes admitting this is the hardest part. Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

Next, believe that Jesus loves you, that He died for you, and that He rose again. The Bible tells us that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 6:8).

Confess that you believe in Him. Romans 10:9 makes it very clear, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” If you accept Jesus into your life, you choose to receive His offer to restore your brokenness to something beautiful and whole, He will mend you in ways that you never expected. Some of it takes time and is a process, just like the art of kintsugi. And, while He may not choose to restore us in the way we expect, He will give us a unique beauty that can shine light into the lives of others who are hurting in the same way or similar to the way we were.

In my case, God restored me into a tool to help other men that have experienced divorce, as well as men seeking a life of significance. I know of another man who was out of a job for over a year. God restored him into a man with a mission to men between jobs and my friend then proceeded to create a unique networking process that has blessed others.

Another man I know lost his wife of 30-plus years to cancer. God restored him with a heart for other cancer patients—especially those he met while spending time visiting his dying wife at the hospital. After his wife passed away, he continued spending time at the hospital bringing encouragement to cancer patients.

Arguably, myself and these other men I mentioned ended up more beautiful than we were before we trusted in Christ to put our broken pieces back together into a work of art. And we are beautiful both aesthetically, as well as functionally. Sometimes, people need to acknowledge their brokenness to let God’s light shine in and then eventually, after he glues us together, to let his love shine through to other broken people in this world.

God promises us that He “is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). If that describes you, maybe you’re ready for some Godly kintsugi. He can help you find purpose and power in your pain.

This is the FATC FORUM which is a great place to share your thoughts and questions on this or other matters. Remember…It’s not just about the fly fishing.

John Muckerman

FATC Inspirational & Leadership Studies Lead