Artist's Studio Blog — Rebecca Finch

Whether uncomfortable or devastating, short-lived or seemingly endless, we’ve all had pain and difficulty. I find though, that long amounts of time spent in the darkest places is where this phenomenon of seeing beauty while being broken is most evident.

These things are pleasing only because what they have been though was rough, lengthy and altering.

As I prepared the Coastal series, I heard sentiments from those following the process such as, “Oh, I love sea glass!” It’s lovely to look at and touch. But isn’t it interesting how the allure to sea glass itself is only there because it’s been broken and ground down by the elements? Similarly, we love to hold a smooth rock in our hands – a rock that has been sanded by time in a river’s constant friction.

Over the last few years, time and grit have ground me down to what I hope will one day become a lovely yet strong character. I’ve seen many of my close friends crushed then rebuilt into women with deep wisdom, empathy and a richness of friendship to offer. What a mystery it is to be in the darkest of moments yet be able to see so many good things such as friendships, strengthened faith, character and opportunities to care for others that would never have existed if we’d not been temporarily ruined.

This is the gift that goes along with a crushing. Meaning and purpose become a blanket for the long night.

I’ve recently read about Kintsugi or “golden repair,” a Japanese art form where broken pottery is repaired with gold. There is no attempt to hide the imperfections. In contrast, the gold accentuates the broken places and gives value to the events occurring to the object instead of brokenness causing it to be discarded.

The gold in my broken places is the Lord who is slowly repairing and holding me together. As I see the veins of His golden healing in my friend’s lives, I’m comforted that beauty and victory comes from what should have been finality.

For those who trust in Him, He will mold the grit into a pearl. He will turn mourning into joy. He will shape the gravestone into a monument of His faithfulness. He has the last word on brokenness, and it’s a beautiful final Word: “It is finished.”

“My scars are significant and precious. I shouldn’t keep hiding them. I am recognizable by them; they make me unique. They are an integral part of who I am. They show that through Christ, I am a conqueror – that I have suffered and, by the Holy Spirit, have overcome… The dictionary says ‘a scar is mark left by a healed wound.’ A healed wound. My scars signify healing. ”

— Vaneetha Rendall Risner, The Scars that Have Shaped Me