Broken pots

In my garden I have a broken pot in which I have planted a really pretty plant with long stems of pink flowers that move in the breeze. I bought the pot years ago, I think it may have moved with us from our old house eight years ago. In it was originally planted an Acer, given to me by a friend. The plant died and I moved the pot from the front garden into the back to be reused at some time. It was then that it got broken, knocked over by the dog. It had been a lovely tall, trumpet shaped pot. But it sustained a nasty fall and a big v shaped bit of the side fell off making it not really any good for planting in anymore.

I gathered up the pieces, put them inside the pot and consigned it to the area of our garden, by the side gate, called the "leaving the building" area for all those items broken and no longer fit for purpose.

Whilst creating our new garden I was looking for a pot in which to plant this pretty plant I had bought. I had a purpose for this pot and plant. It was to sit at the base of the rear wheel of the stripped down bike that I had planted flowers in and looked amazing. Yet the bike was not fully stable and needed something substantial to hold the back wheel in place and stop it falling over.

I had no pots big enough do to this job well and was considering going to buy one when I spotted the broken pot. Part of me was sad because unbroken it would have been the perfect pot for the job. Nevertheless I was drawn to the pile of broken stuff it sat at the bottom of. Looking at it I began to think creatively, could this pot be used for something. The actual depth of soil in could now contain was only about 8 inches, when it would formerly have had a 24 inch depth.

I pulled out the broken pieces of pot, leaving the smaller pieces in the bottom for drainage. There was one larger piece which I left to one side. I filled the pot with soil, and then managed to shove the large broken bit into the hole, using the soil to hold it to the side of the pot. I then filled the pot deeper, 18 inches of soil now held firmly in this broken pot, this restored broken pot. I then planted my pretty pink plant into the soil. It looked amazing, because the pot wasn't all shiny and new and totally fitted my vision of the garden which was to be vintage, old, recycled and pre loved.

I moved the now heavy pot to the base of the wheel of the bike. It was perfect, totally fit for purpose, showing off the plant wonderfully and stabilising the bike - just gorgeous.

The pot that I had written off as broken, no longer fit for purpose and placed in the "leaving the building pile" was RESTORED.

There are mentions of broken pots in the Bible, but the promise is that those pots will be restored. There is such a thing as a broken pot, but Jesus has lots of uses for them. He is in the business of restoring them, he loves them, he restores their purpose, meaning and dignity - their lives.

We all may find ourselves at times on the "leaving the building" pile but Jesus spends a lot of time around that pile, taking us from that place and putting us back together held with the glue of his love, mercy and grace.

I love my broken pot, and Jesus loves me, his broken pot.