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Broken to Beautiful

My world has widened. I have been formally introduced to the world of mosaics, thank you Pinterest. Future escapades to the second hand store are in my future. Possibilities abound with table tops, terracotta pots, vases, counter tops, back splashes and etc. Upon reading about using valuable pieces of china and pottery, all brain activity was partially suspended in a wave of sentiment. How could someone take something beautiful and break it?! Perhaps, thought I, one could have a special box dedicated to the collection of accidentally broken dishes kept for a future project. But to destroy beautiful?!

But of course here I laughed at myself, beauty is in the eye of the beholder; what one values, another may devalue. For me to purposefully break something, it must have less value by remaining whole. Perhaps a stack of plates has no value to me, but a tastefully Mosaic serving tray has value. The plates will be broken. The serving tray will be valued and kept.

Suddenly the question of whole-to-broken-to-beautiful has become a soul question. How often have I cried over spilt milk? (Or broken china?) A box of broken china would be foolish to keep without good purpose. It would not be something to pull down for company and say “Aren’t I blessed?! Look at my beautiful broken china!” for where is the purpose? Even if there were a successful fanclub for all the broken pottery…. #realhousewifestruggles #thingsbreak #stillbeautifulbroken #celebratebroken ….but I digress.


Is it possible to be so okay, that beautiful can be made out of the broken? So secure in seeing the bigger world that I could scoop up the pieces of my broken pottery and not only admit it happened, but submit the pieces to a greater plan? Instead of blaming and feeling embittered could I see a new purpose to be fulfilled? Instead of gathering my tribe to pretend everything is still okay broken, could I put on a heavy duty apron and go to work creating a new beautiful?

The cheerful tune of “Beauty for Ashes” (inspired by Isaiah 61:3) comes to mind. “He gave me beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning…” Isn’t this what God does in our souls? We are of no value without Him; we must be brought to a place of brokenness and completely willing to be created new. This sanctification continues all our lives! Think of Philippians 4:8, “Finally brethren, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Mind you, “think on these things” is imperative; our nature may be to have every other response. These things make beautiful what we once held broken.

(Written on Emily’s blog)

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