Cracks of Gold

I am contentedly sprawled out in my new satin pajamas, basking in the soft pink light of my himalayan salt lamp (both awesome presents from family!) I feel that sleepy sense of grateful ease that sets in as Christmas night draws to an end, but my mind is jostling with thoughts bouncing 'round demanding I write them down lest be roused at 4am. ;-)

Like a lot of families on Christmas, we ventured to the movies where we saw Unbroken.

While I can't even begin to compare my life to the many hardships along his path, I found my spirit leaping with recognition throughout the film. Louis Zamperini survived physically and mentally impossible circumstances because of unrelenting strength - sheer stubborness and insurmountable faith. As a prisoner of war, he was even singled out and tortured continuously because of his quiet strength, but he never once lost his resolve. You see, though he started out on a wayward path, his brother taught him that "if he can take it, he can make it," and that "a lifetime of glory is worth a moment of pain." These sound like your everyday motivational posters with a cute kitten hanging from a tree branch, but these very tidbits of advice provided the slow-burning fuel Louis needed to keep hanging on time and time again. Words only pack as much punch as we allow them to, and in situations like his they can become a saving grace.

I found myself wondering if I would have been able to withstand what he did. The answer is no. No. Freakin' Way. No human could withstand as much as he did - at least not on our own merit. That's the key though...a wise man/woman learns (the hard way, typically) that there are some Goliaths that cannot be overcome without relying upon faith. God provides strength, favor, grace, endurance - what have you - for each and every scenario if we are but willing to look to Him. I used to scoff at the saying, "God will not give you more than you can handle," because accepting that truth meant having to stomach the hard crap. It meant not playing the passive victim role any longer. It meant having to stand upon blind faith that no matter how forsaken I have felt, He was holding me in the palm of His hand.

Billy Graham said, "What God asks of men is faith. His invisibility is the truest test of faith. To know who sees Him, God makes Himself unseen."

Let that sink in.

How many times have you felt that God has abandoned you, and during the darkest nights of your soul? A lot, right? What if I told you that it was during these darkest nights - during your most desperate moments of brokenness - that He was the nearest to you?

The Japanese have a long-standing tradition called Kintsukuroi, meaning "to repair with gold." It is the art of repairing cracked pottery with gold. Rather than viewing the damaged pottery as trash, they have an understanding that it is that much more beautiful and valued having been broken. One of my favorite quotes by Leonard Cohen illustrates this perfectly, "There is crack in everything, that's how the light gets in." Louis had some big friggin' cracks. His situation looked dire; I am positive there were days when he wanted to take his last gasp of air and give into the protests of his mangled body. But he didn't. He chose to look to God to fill his cracks with gold. He chose to believe that he would prevail, to be the light in the darkness despite how much it increased persecution upon him. Darkness doesn't like light; the two cannot co-exist. Light can, however, overtake the darkness. Louis' faith allowed him to do just that.

And so as this year draws to an end, I hope you will be brave enough to take inventory of your own cracks...to know that in your hours of brokenness, God will tenderly fill your every crevice with gold if you will simply lean on Him.

Merry Christmas, friends. <3

#unbroken #louiszamperini #christmas #reflection #journal #strength