My Wabi-Sabi Pot

     I’m holding a pot crafted by my friend Chris, who was thrown off the wheel of life and lay on the ground like a lump of wet clay, her dreams, her marriage, her family, and her heart all broken.
     But that’s not the end of her story.
     Chris picked up each bit of damp clay and climbed back onto the potter’s wheel. It took years of work, sometimes letting go of pieces of her life, sometimes seeing pieces come together. Now she’s taken on a new shape, one she calls “wabi-sabi.” That’s a Japanese term describing that true beauty reveals itself among imperfections. Cracks, chips, and irregularities all provide authenticity. I see this in Chris. Not in spite of her hardships, perhaps because of them, she lives with contentment and freedom she never experienced before.
     As a ceramic artist, Chris says, “My pots aren’t perfect, but hopefully artful with personality.” I treasure this one she gave me with feet she added when "it didn’t set just right.” This encourages me that even when I don’t set just right, I can still be artful with personality. And I can recognize beauty in others even with their flaws.
​     Someday all of life's clay will be refashioned perfectly. The Master Potter, Jesus, will create a new Earth with all the fallen pieces re-formed. Until then, I keep climbing onto his potter’s wheel to be reshaped, as this song describes.