Daily Bread May 12

And Life Begins Again
Bruce Lindgren of Independence, MO, USA


And how blessed are they! For they did publish peace; they did publish good tidings of good; and they did declare unto the people that the Lord reigneth. -Mosiah 11:207

Once upon a time in Japan, a shogun named Yoshimasa had broken two of his favorite teacups. He sent them to China to be repaired, and they were returned to him with repairs made in a traditional way: some very precise holes were drilled in the edges of the porcelain, and the pieces were held together with crude metal staples. Yoshimasa was displeased with their appearance and placed them aside, unused.

In time, he realized that these cups had character, even though he still did not like the way they looked. He sent them to a local craftsman and told him to repair the cups with the most noble materials possible. The craftsman took out the metal staples and put the pieces together with lacquer mixed with powdered gold. The result was beautiful; and it gave rise to the art of kintsugi, repairing broken objects with a mixture of lacquer and gold.

The repairs are obvious, but beautifully so. The imperfections, now repaired, are more beautiful than the original. We get broken, too; and so do our communities. Where we should be whole, we have been broken apart; and this often makes us despair.

But this is the Easter season, where Jesus creates his own kintsugi in us. The broken places in us, and between us and others, can be mended; and the mended parts increase the opportunity for beauty and for wonder. The despair that separates us from each other and drives us apart is obvious but overcome. That which was once over and done is once again brought back together to serve the purpose for which we were created, and love abounds.

Prayer Phrase

In God we all belong.

Spiritual Practice

Sustaining Our Connections

Many find themselves isolated around the world to protect each other and the most vulnerable during this global pandemic. Spend time prayerfully imagining those people that you might normally come into contact with on a regular basis, known and unknown. Remember all the connections that sustain our lives each day. Even in this time of intentional separation, how are you experiencing deep, intrinsic belonging in God?

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

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