Why Breakthrough Often Involves Brokenness

Does your life feel broken? Maybe things haven’t played out the way you planned or there was an unexpected – and unwelcome – surprise. If you’re feeling broken and aren’t quite sure how to put the pieces back together, then this is for you.

In Japanese culture, there is an art form called Kintsugi, which involves gluing broken pottery or ceramics back together. However, instead of regular glue, it features a lacquer dusted with gold, silver or some other beautiful metallic element.

This lacquer is traditionally made from the sap of the urushi tree (aka the “lacquer tree”), which grows in Southeast Asia. The sap is toxic to the touch and its fumes are dangerous to breathe in, so doing it properly and safely requires a master artisan who is familiar with handling and processing techniques that have been developed in Japan for thousands of years. 

As I discuss further in my marriage book, it’s a highly complex process that involves:

• Damage for good: Several deep cuts must be made in the bark to generate enough sap flow for harvesting.
  
  
• Something ugly: The sap isn’t pretty at first due to its grayish/off-white color.
  
  
• Specific conditions: The environment must be precise, with only a five-degree window for temperature and a five-percent window for humidity. 
  
  
• The right timing: Even after the sap is harvested, it often takes up to five years to get it to a color, consistency and resistance level suitable for pottery repair.
  
  
• Full commitment: Once the lacquer dries, it can’t be removed. Plus, all the pieces must be placed at the same time, whether there are two or 20.
  
  
• Added value: Because of all the time and work involved, the lacquer is extremely expensive and results in a desirable product with high value.

With Kintsugi, the artist takes what others might consider trash and puts it back together in a way that is even more beautiful than its original appearance. By highlighting — and not hiding — the imperfections and breaks, this art form draws attention to the restoration that has occurred and offers a hopeful reminder for the future.

The Christian life as a follower of Jesus is often the same way. God allows brokenness to happen in many areas of our lives, and we might not understand it at the moment, but this is all part of his bigger plan to use everything for good. He allows the brokenness with breakthrough in mind.

You are the vessel. God is the artisan. The process? It can vary. Everyone’s breakthrough is different. But it will always involve trusting the Lord instead of taking shortcuts.

“But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him” (Jeremiah 18:4).

Let’s take a closer look at why breakthrough often involves brokenness: 

Breakthrough Begins in Surrender 

Surrender has been our theme here at I Am Second all summer long, and surrender is directly related to brokenness. Not only does brokenness often put you in a position where you have no other options but to surrender to God, but it also prepares your heart for him to work in you. Psalm 34:18 tells us that “the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” It doesn’t say He is close to the strong or self-sufficient.

God allows us to be broken down so he can rebuild us into something more valuable for his kingdom. Take my life, for example. After 10 years of battling alcoholism, I’ve learned things through my brokenness that can help others and point them to God. The 21-year-old Daniel wouldn’t know what to say or how to help someone struggling with addiction. But the 38-year-old Daniel — who dealt with relapse after relapse even after committing to recovery — knows what to do, what to say and how to help.

What Brokenness Teaches Us

You could argue that breakthrough doesn’t even happen without brokenness. It’s often the direct result of it. God has his reasons for teaching us the way he does and while it may not make sense in the moment, it often does in hindsight. If you’re feeling broken or looking back on a broken season in your life, God may be teaching you:

• Dependence: We can’t do life on our own. Depending on ourselves will fail us eventually. Depending on God will never fail you.
  
  
• Compassion: We’re more empathetic toward the pain of others when we have experienced it ourselves.
  
  
• Authenticity: We begin to stop pretending and start living honestly. I can’t tell you how many faith conversations have started from me being vulnerable about my struggles and addictions.
  
  
• Faith: We learn to trust God, not because we see the path, but because we’ve seen his character. 

The Purpose of Brokenness

The thing about brokenness is that it’s painful. We all want immediate relief from it. As a result, you might be tempted to take shortcuts to escape your hurts, whether it’s alcohol, drugs, pornography, relationships, food, approval or entertainment. But try to remember that the healing God offers is what lasts.

Let’s take another look at the Kintsugi process from a spiritual perspective:

• Damage for good: God uses everything for good, even if it hurts at the moment. Your wounds today can be someone else’s healing tomorrow.
  
  
• Something ugly: The healing process isn’t pretty. It can even seem ugly at first, causing you to question God’s intentions and character.
  
  
• Specific conditions: Conditions must be right for restoration. You can’t just force it or apply a formula. God sees the whole book of your life while you see only a chapter (Jeremiah 29:11). He knows the conditions required for your healing.
  
  
• The right timing: Even when you get to the point of pursuing God’s plan, it can take years before you experience true restoration. Trying to speed up the process can lead to inconsistencies in your walk and leave you vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks.
  
  
• Full commitment: God wants you to be all in on His plan, holding back nothing and fully surrendering. Make a permanent commitment to change. Trust the whole process, not just the easiest steps.
  
  
• Added value: Years from now, you’ll see the fruits your hands have sown. If you’re like me, you’ll see that it was all worth it and you wouldn’t take any of it back, as baffling as it is to envision.

It’s easy to forget about God’s plan, especially in moments of despair. Most of us fill cracks and gaps in our vessels with things that are unhealthy at best and evil at worst. Or, we try to take shortcuts to healing and get frustrated when it doesn’t last. 

You can also take shortcuts with Kintsugi. Ceramics can be repaired with super glue and gold-colored paint, after all. But the end result isn’t near as beautiful or durable as the real thing. 

Shortcuts might give the appearance of restoration. They look good to others. But when life shakes things up, pieces fall off. Cracks develop, sometimes where there were none previously. When you trust God and his timing, however, there is permanent, real change.

If you’re feeling broken right now, I encourage you to trust God and trust His process. It’s not a matter of if you’ll find out there is a purpose for your pain…it’s a matter of when. Your breakthrough is coming.