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The Beauty of Imperfection: Transforming Brokenness through Christ

Jan 21

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As Christmas and the New Year flew by, 2025 has already brought its own challenges. While I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions, there’s something undeniably special about the new beginning it offers, allowing me to deepen my relationship with Christ and keep Him at the center of my life.


Reflecting on Fr. Tom’s sermon from Theophany Eve about being a container of Christ, I was struck by the image of feeling trapped under a container by the weight of expectations and daily struggles. Fr. Tom’s reflection, The Frozen Man - a reflection from June, resonated deeply with me. He said “Sometimes I feel like that frozen man, frozen in time, stuck in old habits, no movement, no warmth, just cold. I was also wondering if there are times that you, too, feel like the frozen man, wondering if you are dead or alive, freezing to death with every breath, just enduring life, just killing or passing time, just letting the day happen to you.” Yes, this is true. I often feel overwhelmed and frozen, especially regarding body image. The pressure to look a certain way can make me feel inadequate and distant from Christ. At times, it feels like everything I do that takes me away from Christ is written all over my body, magnifying my flaws and weaknesses.


We are reminded that we are icons of Christ, reflecting His love and grace in a broken world. I think about icons that age and show signs of wear after a while. Our lives also bear marks of trials and challenges. But these imperfections add depth and history, much like the Japanese art of Kintsugi, which repairs broken pottery with gold, celebrating flaws rather than hiding them.


In the Japanese art of kintsugi, broken pottery is carefully repaired with gold, transforming damage into great beauty.
In the Japanese art of kintsugi, broken pottery is carefully repaired with gold, transforming damage into great beauty.

2 Corinthians 4:6-7 reminds us that we carry God’s light in jars of clay, symbolizing our human frailty. Our cracks and scars are not hidden but highlighted, showing that through God’s grace, our weaknesses can become strengths, and our brokenness a testament to His glory. We are invited to turn our brokenness into something beautiful and filled with the Holy Spirit. Kintsugi uses brokenness to create something more valuable. This greatly mirrors light shining out of darkness. In both cases, the focus is not on hiding flaws but on embracing and transforming them, making them a testament to resilience, grace, and the beauty of restoration. Just as the art of Kintsugi teaches us, our cracks and scars don't make us any less beautiful or valuable. They are part of our story, and through God's grace, these imperfections can be transformed into something even more meaningful and beautiful.


My friends, even though our containers feel a bit broken or frozen at times, remember that we are like a beautiful piece of Kintsugi—mended and made whole by God's grace. Just as Kintsugi transforms broken pottery into something even more precious by filling its cracks with gold, God's love and power fill the cracks in our lives, making us beautiful containers of His presence. Our imperfections and struggles are not hidden but highlighted, showing that God's grace can turn our weaknesses into strengths, and our brokenness into a testament to His glory.


Icons in our church, showing the presence of saints who have embodied Christ, remind us that we too are meant to embody and reveal the character of Christ in our lives. Though we may experience wear and tear, each crack and imperfection is a testament to our enduring presence and the journey we have undergone. Our lives, like Kintsugi art, show that our brokenness can become a testament to resilience and beauty. God's grace transforms us, filling our cracks with His love, making us beautiful vessels of His presence.


Icon of the Theotokos
Icon of the Theotokos

Even when we feel broken or inadequate, we are invited to embrace our imperfections, trusting that God's grace can make us whole. Through our struggles and challenges, we reflect His love and grace, becoming living icons of His presence in the world. Here are some action items I invite you to try this week:


  • Support Others Who Feel Overwhelmed: Be Present, Show Empathy, and Hold Space

  • Deepen Your Relationship with Christ: Set time for daily prayer, Read and reflect on the Bible daily, Spend time in self-reflection.

  • View your body as a vessel of God’s Grace: Focus on what your body has done for you, reframe your thoughts. Remember your worth is defined by God’s love, not societal standards.

  • Daily Practices to reflect Christ’s love and grace: Be present, see others as the icon of Christ, show empathy and kindness to all.


 

Originally published in the January 14, 2025 Holy Apostles E-bulletin. Subscribe here.

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