The Sustainable Practice of Redeeming Broken Vessels
A story is told of a master potter known for her exquisite clay vessels. One day, while carrying her finest creation—a delicate vase—to the market, she tripped, and it shattered on the ground. Heartbroken, she gathered the pieces, but instead of discarding them, she took them back to her workshop.
Carefully, she ground the shards into dust, mixed them with fresh clay, and shaped a new vessel. When she fired it in the kiln, the vase emerged with stunning colors and patterns, more beautiful than before—strengthened by its brokenness.
A young apprentice, watching in awe, asked, "Why didn’t you throw it away?" The master potter smiled and said, "Brokenness is not the end. In the hands of the Potter, even shattered pieces can become something new."
It's a lovely story, but it doesn't begin to describe the actual process a potter must go through to redeem and repurpose the value of a broken vessel. AI describes the entire process this way ...
Reusing clay from broken pottery is a sustainable practice, though it does require some effort. Here’s how you can do it:
- Gather and Crush: Collect the broken pottery pieces and break them down into small fragments. If the pottery was glazed, you’ll need to scrape off the glaze, as it doesn’t easily blend back into clay.
- Soak and Slake: Place the broken pieces into a container and cover them with water. Let them soak for a day or two. This process, called "slaking," helps rehydrate the clay.
- Remove Impurities: Once the clay becomes soft, you can mix it into a slurry and strain it through a fine mesh to remove impurities, like bits of glaze or other materials.
- Dry and Knead: Spread the wet clay onto a plaster surface to dry until it reaches a workable consistency. Then knead it thoroughly to eliminate air bubbles and ensure a smooth texture.
- After these steps, the clay should be ready to reuse for new projects! It’s a great way to reduce waste and create something fresh out of old materials.
Like clay in God’s hands, our brokenness is not wasted. He reshapes our pain, failures, and regrets into something stronger and more beautiful. But this is no easy process. Like the potter in the story above, our Master Potter goes through many of the same steps to redeem and reclaim our brokenness for his good will and pleasure.
First, we must be broken down in humility before the shattered pieces of our lives can be rebuilt.
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Psalms 51:17, ESV).
Next, we must allow ourselves to be "slaked" (refreshed, rehydrated) by the renewing power of Living Water.
"But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:4, ESV).
"For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish" (Jeremiah 31:25, ESV).
Next, we must be cleansed from our impurities.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9, ESV).
Finally, we must be kneaded into a smooth and workable slab of clay to be molded and reshaped by the Master Potter.
"The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 'Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words.' So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do" (Jeremiah 18:1-4, ESV).
"But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand" (Isaiah 64:8, ESV).
Surrender your broken pieces to Him! He longs to redeem your brokenness so that He might do His new work in your life!
"To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:22-24, ESV).
The Beauty in Brokenness
Consider a majestic stained-glass window adorning an ancient cathedral. From a distance, its vibrant colors and intricate designs captivate the eye, but upon closer inspection, one notices the fractures and imperfections marring its surface. Yet, it's these very flaws that allow light to dance through the glass, casting a kaleidoscope of colors onto the walls and floor below.
Similarly, our lives are akin to stained glass, beautiful yet fragile, marked by the cracks and breaks of adversity and pain. And just as the light shines through the brokenness of the stained glass, illuminating its hidden beauty, so too can God's grace illuminate our broken lives.
In our journey through our trials and tribulations, we are confronted with moments of shattered dreams, broken relationships, and profound loss. Yet, it is precisely in these moments of brokenness that we have the opportunity to experience God's transformative power and love.
By surrendering our brokenness to Him, we open ourselves to the possibility of redemption and renewal. Like the master artisan who painstakingly restores the fractured pieces of a stained-glass window, God works in our lives to mend our brokenness, infusing each shard with His grace and love.
As we allow Him to work within us, we discover that our brokenness is not a sign of weakness, but a testament to His redeeming grace as our brokenness becomes a source of strength, drawing us closer to His divine love.
"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay [or, cracked and chipped stained glass windows!] to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us" (2 Corinthians 4:6-7, ESV).
Broken Pieces Make Good Grog
Ceramic pottery has been used for thousands of years. It is made from clay that has been molded and heated to high temperatures in order to make the clay hard. The clay reaches temperatures so high that the chemical composition of the clay changes. Pottery can be painted and glazed to become beautiful works of art. Besides it's beauty and versatility, the pottery is very durable. Many vessels have withstood the test of time, even for millenia.
What happens to pottery that becomes damaged or broken? Even the smallest crack can render a pot unusable.
Broken vessels are not just thrown out. Many potters will take the broken pieces of the clay vessels and crush them into dust. The technical term for that dust is called "grog."
The grog is then thoroughly mixed into fresh clay.
What are the benefits of "grogged" clay?
While drying shrinkage, it can help reduce firing shrinkage. Grogged clay can also help reduce thermal expansion, which means a lower chance of expanding and contracting, when it's being heated in the kiln, which will mean a lower chance of it cracking.
When the new vessel is fired in the kiln, the grog becomes a sort of adhesive — a bonding agent, if you will — causing the clay to be even more durable than it would have been without the clay dust.
We humans are often likened in scripture to pottery. We are vessels made of clay. As such, sin can "break" or "mar" us, having a profound effect on our usefulness or fitness for service.
When the child of God is broken due to sin, the Lord doesn't just throw us out. Rather, he takes our brokenness and refashions us into an even stronger vessel.
So, do you ever feel "crushed" by the weight of your own brokenness and the Lord's refining process, like so much grog on the potter's workbench? Well, Scripture has promised us that the Lord's heart is to "bind up" the wounds of the broken hearted ( Psam 147:3).
That grog, in the hands of a skillful potter, is like a powerful adhesive —a bonding agent — which will bind us back together, stronger than ever! And what's more, it will bond us even closer to the Father's heart!
God is, indeed, the Master Potter who, in His mercy, uses our experience, even our brokenness, to strengthen us and shape us into vessels ever increasingly fit for and worthy of service.
"I am forgotten as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery" (Psalms 31:12, NIV).
"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, NIV).