THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: Offaly columnist reflects on 'growing through the cracks'

"HE heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds." – (Psalm 147:3.). There’s a spirituality in brokenness that many of us only come to understand through our deepest pain. Life often shatters us. Whether through the loss of a loved one, serious illness, trauma, disappointment, or even the long, slow erosion of hope, we all, at some point, find ourselves reduced to pieces. But what if our brokenness wasn’t the end of the story? What if it was the beginning of healing, of redemption and even growth?

Kintsugi and the grace in Scars

A priest from Donegal in a sermon he gave to me and others recently told how in Japan, there is a beautiful art form called 'Kintsugi', the practice of repairing broken pottery with gold. Instead of hiding the cracks, they are highlighted, filled with beauty, and made part of the object's story. The item becomes more precious because it has been broken. God’s healing works in much the same way. Through Jesus, we find that what is shattered can be restored. Not to what it was before, but into something even more meaningful, more compassionate, and yes, more beautiful. As 2 Corinthians 12:9 reminds us, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Our wounds, when touched by God’s love, become windows for others to see His grace.

READ NEXT: AMAZING: Comhaltas branch in Offaly raises large sum for war stricken Gaza

A story of healing

I’ll never forget the scream my daughter Mia let out when she broke her leg and knee at the age of 12 playing tag rugby. It was a sound that still echoes in my heart years later. After a long operation and a bright red cast that wrapped around her healing leg, she slowly began to recover. Before long, she was back on her bike, defying every anxious instinct myself and my wife had as parents. Her leg was once broken, but now it was strong. Stronger, even, for the journey it had taken through pain, perseverance, and healing. Healing leaves a mark. Scars stay. But they don’t signify weakness, they speak of endurance, of God’s mercy, of stories redeemed. The pain remains part of our history, but it no longer defines our future.

Rock bottom and redemption

There have been moments in my life where I was not just broken, but ground into dust. After suffering various types of abuse at times in my early life, losing my beloved niece Aoife, grieving family and friends, and enduring personal health breakdowns, I found myself lying at the bottom of a pit called despair at times on my journey. And yet, God met me there. He didn’t just patch me up. He made me new. As Ezekiel 36:26 says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you.” Time and time again, as more cracks have appeared, God has filled them with gold, His love, His mercy, His strength, His forgiveness, His mercy, His compassion, His care, His light. My life now may look like a broken vessel, but it is held together by divine hands and sacred grace.

Only God can restore

Trying to fix ourselves is like a shattered vase trying to reassemble its own pieces. It’s impossible. We need Jesus. We need a Saviour who doesn't just empathize with our pain but has entered it Himself. Isaiah 53:5 declares, “By His wounds we are healed.” That healing is available to each of us, if we are willing to surrender our brokenness.

The power of love

Why does God restore us? Because of love. Unrelenting, unfailing, eternal love. 1 John 4:18 tells us, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” Love is not weak. It is courageous and transformative. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He replied simply: “Love the Lord your God… and love your neighbour as yourself.” (Luke 10:27). This love is the foundation of all healing. It’s what lets us be vulnerable, broken, and still held. It is what makes it possible to dream again, to care again, to forgive again, to love again, to trust again, to hope again.

READ NEXT: Tullamore couple celebrate special 50th Wedding Anniversary with their family

The puzzle of the broken world

There’s a story of a father who gave his young daughter a map of the world that he had torn into pieces. He thought she’d be busy for hours trying to reassemble it. But to his surprise, she finished it in thirty minutes. “How did you do it?” he asked. She smiled, “There was a picture of a person on the back. When I put the person together, the whole world fell into place.” So it is with us. When we let God put us, His beloved children, back together, we begin to see the broken world differently. And we become agents of healing in it.

Your brokenness can be a blessing

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” – (Matthew 11:28). Have you ever considered that your brokenness might be a blessing? That it could be the very thing that helps someone else find hope? As the poet Deborah Ann writes: “God keeps doing wonders, with broken hearts. He can still heal and mend all the injured parts.” Some of the most beautiful people are those who have known suffering, heartbreak, addiction, loss, and grief and found their way out of it.

These souls carry deep compassion and wisdom. They understand the pain of others and offer grace because they have received it. Strength comes from the cracks. Even bones, when stress-fractured and healed well, grow back stronger than before. So do souls. The resurrection story doesn’t erase the crucifixion, Jesus still bore his scars. But it shows us this, death is not the end, and cracks are not the whole story. The light gets in. And more miraculously it shines out. It's a call to let Grace In. Friends, whatever cracks you carry be they visible or secret, know this: They are not reasons to disqualify yourself from love, grace, or hope. They may be the very place God is preparing to bloom something beautiful. You don’t need to be perfect. Just open to God's love, grace and light. As Leonard Cohen so brilliantly sang, “Ring the bells that still can ring, Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything, That’s how the light gets in.”

Final encouragement

No matter how broken you feel, whether your heart is cracked, your faith has faltered, or your spirit is exhausted, God sees it all. And He can work with it all. Give Him the pieces and surrender all, and He will restore you in ways you never imagined. As Revelation 21:4 promises: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” You are not beyond repair. Your brokenness is not the end of your story, it's the beginning of God's masterpiece.

A prayer from my Nana Scully's prayer book sums it up nicely: "Heavenly Father, We come to You raw, not polished, not perfect, but deeply human. We bring our doubts, our disappointments, our little breakdowns, and our big questions. Help us to see the beauty in the places we once cursed. To find Your presence not just on the mountaintops, but in the dirt. Not just in the victories, but in the vulnerability. May our hearts break open, not apart. May our lives bloom from the cracks. Let us be those who bring back humanity with one small act of dignity at a time. Help us to shine light in dark corners. To offer kindness in forgotten places, To love, even when it’s hard. And when the world feels too much, May we remember, You grow gardens where we see only concrete. You never waste a crack. You never miss a tear. I bring to You my wounds and my weaknesses, my past and my pain. Heal what is broken in me. Fill the cracks with Your love and restore my spirit with Your grace. Thank You for never giving up on me. In Jesus’ name, Amen."

Thought for the week

As your thought for the week, maybe you’re feeling like the world has come undone. Maybe your heart is so shattered it doesn’t even feel like a heart anymore. Maybe you’ve tried and failed to put yourself back together. Don’t give up. Resurrection is still possible. Let this week be your moment. Your turning point. The start of healing. Of hope. Of new life. Bring your brokenness to Jesus. Give Him every shattered piece. Let Him craft something beautiful. Let Him fill your life with gold. Because you are not beyond repair. You are loved. You are seen. And you are still becoming something beautiful. Let me leave you with this old Irish Blessing - "May you feel the healing touch of Christ where you are most broken. May you have the courage to bring Him your scars, your shame, your shattered dreams. May you know yourself loved, wildly, unconditionally, irrevocably. And may the God who turns graves into gardens breathe new life into your soul this week. Amen."