“In Japan, broken objects are often repaired with gold. The flaw is seen as a unique piece of the object’s history, which adds to its beauty. Consider this when you feel broken.”

Wouldn’t it be great if every time we had a heartache, made a mistake, or lost someone we loved our pain was commemorated in gold? We’d each be a walking Fort Knox.

While I don’t think adding gold to our bodies when we break something is always plausible. I do think there is merit in finding value in our flaws.

When I was in kindergarten, I was in a contest to see who could swing highest the fastest against a girl in my class. I was winning. She was not. She kicked my swing and I landed on my head and suffered a concussion. I spent the night vomiting in the hospital and experiencing my first CAT-scan. (So much for winning that race.) Here I am 35 years out of kindergarten and I still feel that fracture when the weather changes. I know if it’s going to snow or if a big storm is coming. The pressure front splits right down the middle of my cranium. It’s not something that stops me in my tracks, but it is helpful when considering if I should make plans for a snow day or if I should get laundry off the clothesline soon. My cracked cranium is something that I have come to appreciate in times of severe weather. (It may also explain some things about my extreme personality.)

I have long since forgiven that swing kicker and have accepted that I can tell the weather better than the trained meteorologists on television. My cracked cranium is in essence golden to me. It may be flawed, but it is unique.

Think about your scars and imperfections. What about them makes you golden? What value or depth have your injuries brought to your life?

While we all relish our talents and strengths, we should also seek to find beauty in what makes us less than perfect and be grateful for the uniqueness that results.

“In Japan, broken objects are often repaired with gold. The flaw is seen as a unique piece of the object’s history, which adds to its beauty. Consider this when you feel broken.”

Your Intentergy challenge for this week is this: Make a list of five (5) of your flaws. Next to each of those listed imperfections, write how that flaw or blemish makes you beautiful. If you can’t come up with something valuable in those scars right away, that’s okay. Give it time. The Japanese wouldn’t rush the golden repair of their most precious artifacts, so you shouldn’t either.

Patience is also golden. Keep that in mind as you allow yourself time to determine the worth of your wonkiness. When you feel broken, remember that those fissures are opportunities for you to grow in strength, uniqueness, and self-worth. Your history and healing are all a part of the process of being preciously you.

By: Melanie A. Peters

P.S. Don’t start pouring molten gold on your injuries. I don’t think it works that way.

P.P.S. Please don’t sick the meteorologists on me. I get enough headaches when it comes to the weather.