Beautifully Broken
In our home, we have a small, unassuming coffee table (pictured above). It is by far my favorite piece of furniture that we have or have ever owned. It is not because of its value, but it is the story behind it.
When Susanne and I were first married, we barely had two nickels to rub together. We were working for a non-profit, and I was making just over $13K per year, and within the first year had our first child. I remember that our date nights were Taco Bell runs after we had saved enough change to afford a few tacos and share a Coke.
During that time (long before Facebook Marketplace), we had wanted a coffee table for our apartment, but we could not find one that we could afford. One night, while at our friends' house, I mentioned to them that if they came across a coffee table that was under $15, to let us know. In an instant, my friend Keith stood up from the table and said, "Follow me".
I followed Keith down to his basement and into a storage area where he had a wood pile. He reached into the pile of wood and wrestled out a coffee table. To say it was in rough shape is an understatement. The top of the table was dirty; it had splotches of green paint on it, more than a few nicks in the wood, and the sides of the table were discolored.
Keith laid it on the floor and said, "I know it's not much, but you can use any of my tools to see what you can do with it."
The Transformation Process
That night, we took the coffee table home, along with some of Keith's tools, and I got to work. I spent a few nights scraping and sanding, and before long, I realized it was solid cherry wood, far beyond anything we could have ever afforded.
Over time, I got it to a good place, and all it needed was a few coats of polyurethane, and it was finished. A beautiful, solid cherry coffee table. What was dilapidated and broken and doomed to kindling for a fire turned out to be something beautiful and cherished.
And, 30 years later, it is the one piece of furniture that we will never get rid of, even though it still has some dents and nicks that show its age and the years of use.
We're Are All Like That Coffee Table
Every time I walk by or prop my feet on that coffee table, I am reminded of the fact that every single one of us carries dents, dings, and fractures. They may be from past choices that still haunt us, wounds from betrayal or loss, failures we wish we could erase, or seasons of life where we made choices we regret.
And, because of our shame, we spend so much energy trying to hide these cracks. We try in vain to present a flawless exterior to the world and convince ourselves that we are good and that our flaws are not apparent.
But here's the truth: our brokenness isn't something to conceal, it's the very place where God does His most beautiful work.
In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul writes the following: "My grace (God's grace) is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
Not despite our weakness, but IN IT!
Our cracks and flaws become the channels through which God's power flows most clearly.
Don't Hide The Flaws
We live in a culture obsessed with image management, where everyone presents their highlight reel and hides their struggles. We even do this to those who are closest to us, and as a result, we fall into isolation where the damage only grows.
What is beautiful about our flaws and our brokenness is the story that they tell, one of hope, one of redemption, and one of change; that is, if we decide not to stay in a place of brokenness.
The scars we bear, like my coffee table, often tell a story about the transformative work of God in and through us and give us the abundant life that His son promised.
Our coffee table is valuable because of its history, not in spite of it. The dings and dents make it unique, beautiful, and far worth more than a brand-new table. And, it is a reminder of the old becoming new!
The same can be true for us, but we have to make that choice.
An Invitation
If you're carrying shame about your past, mistakes you can't undo, or wounds that haven't healed, know this: your brokenness is not the end of your story. God specializes in taking broken things and making them beautiful. He's the master of restoration, and if you let Him, He will use all of the tools that He has to refine you with His grace and love and make something beautiful.
Running the race with you,
This edition was first published in The Life Design Newsletter on LinkedIn.