Beautifully Broken
By Pastor Jerry A. Burns
In Japan there is an old and honoured craft called kintsugi. When a treasured bowl is broken, the craftsman does not throw it away. He carefully gathers every piece, fits them back together, and fills the cracks with gold. The broken places are not hidden. They are highlighted. The bowl is not ashamed of its scars; instead, those scars become part of its beauty.
What a beautiful picture of the grace of God.
There are times when life leaves us feeling broken. We have made mistakes. We have failed. We have been wounded by others. We have experienced loss, disappointment, and heartache. Sometimes we look at the broken pieces of our lives and wonder how God could ever use us again.
But God does not look at us and see something that should simply be discarded.
Grace gathers the pieces.
The Lord does not pretend the cracks were never there. He knows every failure, every wound, every regret, and every weakness. Yet He takes what is broken and begins His work of restoration. Where we see only a scar, God can display His grace. Where we see weakness, He can demonstrate His strength.
Paul asked God three times to remove his thorn, but God answered, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” God did not necessarily remove the broken place, but He promised to meet Paul there with His grace.
Sometimes we ask God to erase our scars when He wants to use those scars to testify of His faithfulness.
The broken places in your life do not have to be the end of your story. In the hands of the Master, they can become part of your testimony. Your failures can remind you of His forgiveness. Your weaknesses can remind you of His strength. Your trials can remind you of His faithfulness.
The world may tell you that broken things have little value. God says otherwise.
A life touched by grace is not valuable because it has never been broken. It is valuable because the Master has taken what was broken and made something beautiful from it.
You may see cracks. God sees an opportunity for grace to shine.
You may see pieces. God sees something He can restore.
You may see your past. God sees what He can still do with your future.
So do not throw away your brokenness. Bring it to Christ. Place every piece into His hands. Let Him do what only He can do.
The greatest beauty is not found in a life that was never broken, but in a life that was broken and then restored by the grace of God.
Bring your broken places to the Lord instead of trying to hide them from Him. Ask Him to use your weaknesses, failures, and scars as opportunities to display His grace. Remember that your past does not limit God's ability to use your life.
"What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, In God I have put my trust; I will not fear What flesh can do unto me." — Psalm 56:3-4
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This Week's Radio Program
Week Forty-Four • November 1, 2026
What are you Seeking?
In this week’s message titled "What are you Seeking?" from Kitchener Baptist Church, Pastor Jerry A. Burns explores John 20 to show how the world searches for meaning in the wrong places. Listeners will hear how Solomon looked for purpose in worldly success and pleasures only to find vanity, and how Mary Magdalene sought her Savior at the tomb, weeping for the dead before discovering He had risen.
Pastor Burns reminds us that true life is found only in Jesus Christ. The reality of Christ gives us life, and His resurrection is the key to our salvation and eternal life. We must choose life, for Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Join us on "Timeless Truths" as we turn to God's Word for these vital answers.
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