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Gather the Fragments

Fragments are incomplete sentences. Fragments are also parts of something broken off, detached from a whole. Whatever lens you use, fragments are symbols of unfulfillment and reminders that a thing is no longer fit for use in its purposed form.

Though we may be tempted to discard these broken pieces, I hear faith saying no. There is still use for what is left over.

John the Apostle records a miraculous story where Jesus, Jewish Rabbi and God’s beloved son, shares food with thousands of hungry people at an outdoor retreat. It is intriguing that Jesus instructs His disciples to “gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” In the Amplified Bible: “Gather up now the fragments (the broken pieces that are left over), so that nothing may be lost and wasted.”

If circumstances have left you feeling broken in pieces, you are not forgotten. As you read this magazine, I pray that you will feel empowered to view your journey through a new frame. Our contributors invite you into their personal lives. They share past brokenness, vulnerability, confusion, imperfection or insecurity in hopes that you will be encouraged. They share advice born of experience so that you increase in wisdom. I am grateful for every contribution to this magazine and I hope that you are blessed.

Look at what appears to be ashes in your hands and see potential for beauty. May God empower you to reach into your open field and gather the fragments.

Thank you for joining us.

Petura C Burrows

SO WHEN THEY WERE FILLED, [JESUS] SAID TO HIS DISCIPLES, “GATHER THE FRAGMENTS THAT REMAIN, SO THAT NOTHING IS LOST.” – John 6:12

About the cover: May you continue to build your life in this new year being inspired by a Japanese artform called kintsugi or kintsukuroi. Here, broken pottery is repaired with gold—founded on a principle that an item can be even more beautiful having been broken and restored.