Broken Bits
Maybe it’s my “almost-an-empty-nester” stage but more and more I find myself taking stock of where I am in life, where I thought I would be at this age, and wondering what I will become in the future. And of course those dreaded comparisons and regrets start creeping in. The what-ifs and why-didn’t-I’s can all too easily overwhelm me and take away the joy of the present.
A while back I came across a line about allowing God to transform the broken places in your life into prisms. Can’t you just see that? What a beautiful word picture of redemption and hope. That idea has been rolling around in the back of my head for a while and so I began to review my life again. What if I start looking at my faults as prisms reflecting God’s beauty outside of my selfish little world? How this happens I don’t know but I’m holding onto God’s goodness and grace and letting Him be in charge, or at least I’m trying to.
I love when God whispers His truth to me through my art. I love it even more when I pay attention and actually listen. Over the years I have collected quite a pile of broken eggs. Some were completed and accidentally cracked. Some didn’t turn out as I’d hoped and were abandoned partway through the process. I couldn’t bring myself to toss any of them so they just sat in a drawer collecting dust. Every time I opened the drawer they shouted at me that I had failed in some way.
Now what if I used those broken bits somehow? Could I really transform them into something more? After a lot of experimentation I can finally say yes.
These egg mosaics have been a challenge and a delight to create. I’m still discovering new ways to improve my designs and having fun in the process. Not only that, I will be teaching a class on this technique at the Pysanky USA retreat in Pennsylvania next week.
Thank you for the grace-filled, shining words & lovely resurrected art!
July 24, 2013 at 3:19 pm
And I just pitched a few shells! Me who never throws away anything! No more!!! All packed & ready for PA? See ya at the airport! Jeanne
July 20, 2013 at 3:18 pm
It won’t be long now…and I’m so excited to reconnect. I’m not quite packed, but my brain is in PA already. What about you?
July 20, 2013 at 3:38 pm
I loved reading this post! When God’s love and work shines through us, others see His beauty and not the mistakes or broken parts. I love what you did with your eggs. Thanks for sharing.
July 20, 2013 at 2:22 pm
Thanks Nancy. It’s always good to hear that my words connect to real people “out there in the virtual world.”
July 20, 2013 at 3:39 pm