I have a down jacket that I love. It is light, comfortable, and warm. I wear it all winter long.
The other day I wore it while checking on the chickens. As I was entering the coop, the arm of the jacket snagged on a piece of the hardware cloth that wraps around the coop and protects the chickens. The result was a two inch hole in the sleeve that immediately threatened to start leaking downy feathers.
Fortunately, my wife is handy with a needle and thread. She stitched up the hole. As an extra precaution, she suggested we put a patch over the new stitching to protect the weakened area. I have a small collection of scout, sport, and other patches. I found one meaningful to me and Hannah sewed it on.
Surprisingly, I love the jacket even more now. The patch is from my mom’s family. It represents a little piece of our history and a joy in downhill skiing. It’s a good patch for a winter jacket that has gone on several ski trips. This brings me to Japanese Kintsugi.
Kintsugi is a kind of Japanese ceramic art, a way of repairing broken pottery that celebrates the damage as a part of the objects history. The seams are filled with a compound that includes precious metals, increasing the intrinsic and sentimental value of the object at the same time.
Hannah’s repair of my jacket feels like Kintsugi. I loved the jacket before it was torn. The tear threatened to diminish its value. But the repair restored the value, and added more value in the form of a connection to my family. And the repair is made even more meaningful to me because my wife did it.
We all need healing. I find healing in Jesus Christ. I’m not good enough. I’m broken. I’m damaged. But He fills the gaps. He puts me back together, and I’m better than before because of His intercession. He repairs me, and I’m forever grateful to him for the miracle of His divine love and compassion.
“God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son.” — The Living Christ
When I went out to check on the chickens, I wasn’t planning on tearing my favorite jacket. But I wouldn’t change what happened because now I have a jacket that I love even more. I have a reminder of my wife’s kindness and a connection to my family history. More importantly, I have a token of my Savior’s grace, a reminder that through Him I have healing.
