Apples of Gold

Have you ever felt like your life was shattered into thousands of pieces? I think if we are honest we all have been there. Sometimes we have made a bad decision or watched a loved one choosing the bumpy path. Sometimes we even find ourselves broken by the hand of God. It seems counterintuitive for our loving Father to tear us into pieces; but when we are stubbornly demanding our own way and ignoring His warning signs; breaking us can actually be the most compassionate thing for Him to do. Israel found herself in just this situation from time to time. One such instance is recorded in the book of Hosea.

Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces; now he will heal us. He has injured us; now he will bandage our wounds. In just a short time he will restore us, so that we may live in his presence. Oh, that we might know the LORD! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring. (Hosea 6:1-3)

There are a few important lessons in this passage. One is when we are headed in the wrong direction God might step in and stop us in our tracks. Have you ever heard of a “Yes” day? Several years back a parent mentioned to me that they were going to give their child a “yes” day and planned to say yes to whatever they asked during that time frame. My first thought was I can see this going bad a million different ways. “Mom, can I play in the street?” “Can I drink bleach?”, “Can I hit you?” The list could be infinite and I think the general consensus would be that is a very bad idea. Parenting is about so much more than saying yes to our children. Our job is to teach them how to function as a healthy member of society and as a child of God. If we, flawed as we are, can figure that out, we certainly would not expect less of our Heavenly Father. I know there have been prayers that I have prayed that down the road I was so thankful that God didn’t answer yes. He was protecting and guiding me in ways that I didn’t understand.

Another lesson is; after we are broken when we return to God, He will bandage our wounds and restore us. When administering discipline parents will sometimes say “This hurts me more than it hurts you”. I believe divine discipline is something God mercifully gives us, not enjoying the moment but looking at the end result, a healthy, mature child. After a child misbehaves and they come with a tearful hug asking forgiveness, parents are quick to respond with a reassuring embrace and the wrong is quickly forgotten.

When we find ourselves in a broken mess, it can be difficult for us to approach an all-powerful and holy God with confidence that He will put us back together again. We might feel we messed up too much this time or maybe we keep tripping over the same thing again and again and think we have reached the end of His mercy. Scripture clearly tells us this is not the case:

The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. Lamentations 3:22-23

One of my most treasured lessons the Lord has been teaching me is that when my feelings and Scripture don’t line up it is my feelings that are in error. Several years back I was in a serious battle. I felt as if my prayers were not being heard and God was far from me. I felt I had disappointed Him too deeply. It was a very dark place. I remember hearing a firm whisper, “Bethany what you feel and what you believe are not the same thing”. I grabbed onto that truth like a lifeboat in the middle of a raging sea and held on for dear life. I began to apply the Scripture to my crisis. I feel like you have left me-I believe that you will never leave me or forsake me. I feel like I have failed you-I believe when I confess my sins you are faithful to forgive.

We don’t have to wonder if God is going to respond to our cries. We have a guarantee in Hosea 6:3:

He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.

You probably don’t spend too much time worrying if the sun will rise in the morning. You don’t need to spend time worrying that God might not come to help you.

The Japanese have a beautiful art form called Kintsugi. Kintsugi takes a piece of shattered pottery and skillfully puts it back together using a lacquer dusted with gold, silver or platinum. The break and repair become part of the history of the vessel. Pottery that has undergone the process of Kintsugi is often more valuable than the original piece.

When our shattered mess is put together by the hand of God we find that our messy, painful history becomes beautiful and valuable. God is well known for making beauty from ashes. God wants us to embrace our history rather than trying to erase it. Our journey helped shape us into who we are. If you find yourself feeling shattered, offer those pieces up to God and watch the Kintsugi master make something incredible!