Restored! - article by Joel Hempel
This past Sunday, Pastor Scott shared a message with us that was both helpful and meaningful. In talking about how God mends together our brokenness and heals our wounds, his sermon brought to mind a specific kind of brokenness that can be devastating. It is the brokenness of one’s soul.
Because the word "soul" is used in different ways in Scripture to describe various aspects of oneself, it is impossible to give a definitive definition. But one way to think about the soul is that it is a person’s essential self, the core of one’s being. It is a person’s spiritual identity in relation to or apart from God.
The soul is also where questions about one’s existence live, such as: Who am I? Do I matter? What is my value? What does my life mean? What do I believe about God, and more importantly, what does God believe about me? These questions are far more than painful feelings or worrisome thoughts. They are challenges to existence. Thus, when people are troubled by harsh experiences in life or matters of faith, their soul is troubled or wounded. And sometimes, a soul can be broken. But broken is not the same as destroyed.
In Pastor’s sermon, he referenced the Japanese art form, Kintsugi. He shared how these artists work with broken pottery. Rather than throw away a broken bowl, they mend together the broken pieces with a unique mix of lacquer and gold, resulting in a recreation of a more glorious and valuable work of art.
If you click on the link below,* you will be introduced to a Japanese artist, Makoto Fujimora. His testimony at the end of the video declares: “Christ came not just to fix us but to restore us, to create something new which is more valuable than what we began with.”
If you are going through a soul-wrenching experience or period in your life, or when another wave of challenge comes your way, God will restore your hope and heal your soul. But in the midst of brokenness or loss, answers and relief can be slow to come. What often helps, though, is talking with someone, someone who can help you address the brokenness. As Pastor reminded us, that is why God has placed us in community.
God’s intention is to create something new out of our brokenness. Creation and re-creation through the death and resurrection of Christ is God’s specialty.
Whatever darkness or brokenness is your current experience, God is in the midst of it with you. If you are not sure of that because your faith is weak, you are in good company with the disciple Thomas who doubted (John 20:24-25), and his own family who were uncertain (Mark 3:21). Jesus’ unrelenting love for them is the same as his love for those of us who need help to trust and receive the grace of God’s re-creation.
