Broken But Healed

by McKayla Temple

I was sitting down with a friend over coffee when our conversation turned to the experience we shared at a recent conference we had both attended. We reflected on the moments we sat listening to so many renowned authors and incredible women—each one known for her deep love for the Lord. They spoke with such boldness, authority, and wisdom, and every word seemed to carry both conviction and grace.

My sweet friend asked how I felt about my time at the conference, and I told her it made me feel both broken and healed at the same time. She smiled and said it reminded her of kintsugi—a Japanese art form I had never heard of before. Kintsugi (meaning “golden joinery”) is the process of repairing broken pottery with gold, making the once-broken object even more beautiful than before.

In the same way, God’s healing doesn’t erase our scars; instead, He uses them as part of His refining work. The cracks in our lives become filled with His grace, mercy, and strength: so that we can shine for His glory.

There is such beauty in realizing how God can use our brokenness to bring healing. How He meets us right in the middle of it all, refining and restoring our hearts in ways we didn’t even know we needed.

We all carry places of brokenness, whether from loss, disappointment, or struggles we never expected. Sometimes our hearts feel cracked wide open, and we wonder if wholeness is even possible. But our God specializes in taking what is broken and making it new.

The refining process is never easy. Fire burns away the impurities in silver and gold until the refiner can see his own reflection in the metal. In the same way, God allows refining seasons to remove what hinders us, shaping us into His likeness:

“He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” (Malachi 3:3)

This process can feel painful, but it is always purposeful. Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that God’s grace is sufficient and His power is made perfect in weakness. Our brokenness becomes the very place where His strength shines the brightest. When we surrender our shattered pieces to Him, He doesn’t just glue us back together—He transforms us into something stronger, refined, and radiant in relationship with Him.

Reflection:

In what areas of my life do I sense God refining me to look more like Him?