God’s Paradoxes

Years ago, there was a beloved Christian preacher and publisher named Henry Clay Trumbull who wrote an entire book about the profound difference in our ways from the ways of God.  Trumbull stated,

It stands to reason that if there is a God in heaven, He would look at things differently from us, from a different vantage and perspective.  That results in paradoxes – statements that appear to be contradictory but are actually more true than we can even comprehend.  The law of the Christian life is, in itself, a paradox.  It is made up of seeming contradictions.  All its teachings are contrary to the common opinions of man.  According to this law, giving is getting; scattering is gaining; holding is losing; having nothing is possessing all things; dying is living; it is he who is weak who is strong; happiness is found when it is no longer sought; the clearest sight is of the invisible; and things which are not bring about things which are.

I’ve been a born-again Christian since I was twenty-one years old.  During that entire time, I have been intrigued by the truths of the Bible that land somewhere inexplicably between the opposites.  Through the decades, those have been the lessons that have most meaningfully convicted my heart, grown my faith, and deepened my relationship with Jesus.

  • To be whole, we must be broken (from Psalm 51:17)
  • To really live, we must die (from Galatians 2:20).
  • To save our life, we must lose it (from Luke 17:33)
  • To be wise, we must become fools (from 1 Corinthians 3:18)
  • To reign, we must serve (from Matthew 25:21)
  • To be exalted, we must become humble (from Matthew 23:12)
  • To be first, we must be last (from Matthew 20:16)
  • To bear fruit, we must first die (from John 12:24)
  • To be strong, we must become weak (from 2 Corinthians 12:10)
  • To have, we must freely give (from Acts 20:35)
  • To be free, we must submit (from Romans 6:18)
  • To gain, we must lose (from Philippians 3:7-8)
  • To possess, we must accept having nothing (from 2 Corinthians 6:10)
  • To find happiness, we must stop seeking it (from Matthew 5:3-10)
  • To be more like Jesus, we must die to ourselves (from Matthew 16:24)

From Broken Pieces to Masterpieces

There is no greater example of this book’s title, Addition by Subtraction (something being gained by something being lost) – than God’s promise to turn the broken pieces of our lives into masterpieces!  That is an incredible paradox – a perfect masterpiece created entirely from broken pieces?

Kintsugi = Precious Re-creation

Kinstugi from book coverKintsugi is the centuries-old Japanese art of giving new life to broken pottery.  Rather than rejoin ceramic pieces with an invisible adhesive, the Kintsugi technique employed a special tree sap lacquer dusted with powdered gold.  Once completed, beautiful seams of gold glint in the conspicuous cracks of ceramic wares, gave a distinctive appearance to each “re-created” piece.

This unique method celebrated each item’s unique history by emphasizing its fractures and breaks instead of hiding or disguising them.  In fact, Kintsugi often makes the repaired piece even more precious and valuable than the original, remaking it with a new look and giving it a new life.

While Kintsugi’s origins aren’t entirely clear, historians believe that it dates back to the late fifteenth century.  According to legend, the craft commenced when Japanese shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa sent a precious cracked tea bowl back to China to undergo repair.  To esteem the one who owned the item, craftsmen sought to employ an aesthetically pleasing method of restoring, and Kintsugi was born.

I Am God’s Masterpiece

The most remarkable element of the word “masterpiece” is master.  Regardless the nature of the piece itself – art, writing, music, design – it isn’t precious because of what it is.  No, the greatness of the piece is because of the one who created it!  The master.

“For we are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT).

You and I no longer need to wonder or worry about the “why’s” in life.  Why did this happen?  Why didn’t that happen?  Why was God not there?  Why did He not answer my prayers?  Why?  Why?  Why?

When we allow ourselves to fully trust the Master, we can find rest in knowing that He loves us fully and without conditions.  He has a plan and purpose for our lives that cannot be disrupted, derailed, or denied by our own doing, or by that of others whose lives have been interwoven into ours.  And He knows how to assemble all of the broken pieces into something greater than we could have ever imagined.

“’For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope’” (Jeremiah 29:11 AMP)

As I’ve contemplated the peaks and valleys of my own life, I’ve learned a better, much more fruitful question than asking God “why?” I try to ask Him, “What now, God?”

In this question, He constantly reassures my heart that He loves me and cherishes me; He is with me amid every moment of my past, present, and future; He is fully aware of my current circumstances; and He is at work, intricately unfolding the one-of-a-kind story of my life – a Masterpiece.

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