What a Wooden Bowl Taught Me About Healing

While I was in Hawaii, I came across a hand-crafted wooden bowl made of milo wood, with a small inlay of lapis lazuli. The artist created it as a take on kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing what’s broken with gold—honoring the cracks as part of the story rather than something to hide.

I didn’t expect to be so moved by a bowl, but as soon as I held it, I thought about my own story.

God took something in me that felt beyond repair—something I thought would always remain broken—and slowly shaped it into something beautiful. Not perfect. Not what it once was. But beautiful in a new way.

Sometimes we need something tangible to remind us of what’s already been healed. This bowl is mine. A small, quiet witness to the grace I’ve received.

What about you?

Is there something in your life that once felt broken, but has now become part of something beautiful?