The Japanese technique known as kintsugi involves piecing together shattered pottery and binding it with gold lacquer. Rather than trying to hide the flaws in a piece, this art form recognizes that flaws themselves are part of an object’s beauty. Our wounds—and especially the ways we react to them—are precious scars that make us unique, beautiful children of God.
Well-meaning platitudes can undercut this central truth of human existence. When people say, “God’s ways are not our ways,” “God has a plan,” or “God never gives us more than we can handle,” it’s easy to start thinking that God gave us this pain on purpose to torment us. But the wounds we suffer are not the will of God. They are the reality of living in a fallen world in which the effects of sin ripple outward.
One thing is true, though: God can use our pain—our broken places—to do something beautiful within us. As he stitches us back together with the gold of his love and healing, we become more sensitive to the richness life has to offer. We learn a profound gratitude for all that is good, beautiful, and holy, as well as empathy and compassion for others.
God does not abandon us to despair. If we give him the space to work within us, he can transform our pain. We may not recognize it until years later, if ever. But trusting that God’s hand is at work, even in suffering he did not wish upon us, can free us to hope for the future.
From Catholic Novenas: A Classic Collection ©️ 2026 (828942). Available from Liguori Publications. To order, call 800-325-9521 or visit Liguori.org.