Kintsugi - The Golden Repair
Kintsugi is the ancient Japanese way of repairing broken ceramics with a glue of gold. The golden color beautifies the visual of break and repair. This art is long been synonymous with the art of healing and repairing the hearts.
Raha is a cheerful girl and she is beloved by all the family due to her gentle manners. Her elder sister who lives separately in her home after marriage often gets comparisons and questions why she is always favored in the family. During this process of sibling jealousy, one day she verbally abused her in front of the whole family which was very shocking and embarrassing for sincerely loving and caring Raha. It was difficult to believe and a weird experience for her which she had never gone through before. More traumatic was it came from her beloved sister. She defined it as an extremely unbelievable event of life.
Repair of the human heart when it is broken is often handed over to passing time, which is partially true. But the human mindset has a bigger role in the repair.
The urge to get a positive repair out of the painful breakdown is important.
Honestly honoring our personality breaks is an essential art everyone should learn for a better life. Honoring it by the courage to own it. It doesn't mean to openly show it off in public but to own it inside ourselves.
The first thing that comes to mind with any bad event happens is "This cannot happen to me"
This is our innocent response to an early shock. The answer to this is: ‘It can happen to anyone, and "I am no exception".’
Once we face that "It has happened to me" the next phase immediately starts. The patience of the first suffering hits harder and has a greater reward. We need to deliberately make ourselves eligible for this reward, by remembering ALLAH's rahmah and His greater will hidden somewhere in the matter.
The next step is "the repair". Something which brings us more value. Joining together piece by piece with courage and bravery is that one thing that gives us value more than gold. That golden tinge of breakage lines made of patience and resilience. Don't forget that ALLAH loves the people of Sabr and the people of Ihsaan. This is the time to keep a keen belief in ALLAH’s justice and leave things in His hands, minimizing very consciously any negative thoughts and wishes in mind. It takes effort and I would repeat, it does not happen by itself but with continuous efforts to keep negative thoughts minimum.
Forgiving is an essential step in healing. It is about forgiving ourselves and others.
ALLAH commands us to:
- Let it go without even pointing it out with grace - (Afoo).
- Overlook it, turn the page, and not ever repeat it (to taunt about it). - (Safaho).
- To forgive for whatever greater mistake happened. (Ghafiro).
As our Loving Rab hides and erases our sins and continues to be kind to us even at the worst of our repeated sins.
Raha’s sister regrets his ugly words and jealous thoughts which shaitan installed into her brain. Next time she kindly talked to her and Raha behaved like nothing happened. Raha cleaned her heart with conscious efforts and continuous prayers that may ALLAH keep her heart clear of negative thoughts and emotions against her sister. Life goes on and the positivity of the Quran continues to make life easier. Al Hamdu lillah.
