Spirituality is...Mosaic

Benedick: ... and now tell me, how doth your cousin?
Beatrice: Very ill.
Benedick: And how do you?
Beatrice: Very ill too.
Benedick: Serve God, love me and mend.
        "Much Ado About Nothing"  Act V, Scene II
         William Shakespeare

 There are some who quietly suggest spirituality is about wholeness - being together in body, soul, and mind to serve God.  There are others who will trumpet from the rooftops that spirituality is found in brokenness - being shattered and left open for the Lord's work to shine through you.  I find that neither state of being exclusively represents spirituality very well. I believe spirituality is brokenness being made whole. Spirituality is mosaic.

Mosaic art is the art of broken pieces. Some form of media - tile usually - is broken into pieces and then placed on a backing to be used as part of a larger picture. It's a well thought out process:

1. The design, or at least a rough idea of it, is sketched out.
2. Tile is broken or broken tile is collected.
3. The tile is placed into the design - sometimes being nipped into a better fitting shape, sometimes not.
4. The design is grouted - cemented in place so that it holds together.
5. The art work is cleaned and polished so the design shines through.
6. The art work is sealed making it able to stand up against the elements.

Spiritually, we function in much the same way. God works in holy partnership with our humanity to come up with a picture of the Creator we want to show the world. Or, God guides us to be part of someone else's picture. Brokenness (either previous or current) gives us wisdom, perseverance, grace and love so we can be placed in the design.  Sometimes we are nipped or shaped further by teachers or life lessons, sometimes not. Once we are in the design God grouts us with the Holy Spirit and holds the picture together. Over time, through God's loving hand and our willingness, we are cleaned and polished of the things that distract from the picture of God's desire.  We are sealed - through our constant and hopeful relationship with Christ - to stand up to the elements around us. 

No matter where we are in the process - (and we may be in several places at once) spirituality is the name of what is happening to us.

There are some things to note:

Brokenness is NOT the goal.  Much of the time mosiac art is made of tile that happens to have gotten broken naturally. Floor tile that is chipped and can't be used is a good source. In fact, one form of mosaic art - Tea Cup Mosaic - was made popular in the late 1800's when a teacup or other piece of inherited china would accidentally get broken. The broken pieces were turned into a trivet or work of art so the china, and the family history it represented, could be preserved. 
     There are times when you do purchase a tile to break it for the artwork. However, any time tile is purchased specifically to be broken - it is the artist who breaks it. I find God, more often than not, uses our broken pieces that life on earth has already left us with. But if we must experience a specific brokenness for God's greater good - it is God's job to do it.  We should NEVER entertain the idea that it is our job to break someone else so they can "be used of God". We have neither the right, nor the skill, to do so.  Harming someone and calling it God's will isn't spiritual. It's just cruel.

Wholeness is NOT the end. The secret all artists know, and thrive on, is the understanding that when a work of art is completed - its life is just beginning. The way it connects, the meaning it shows, the joy or thought it gives will continue on with each encounter.  None of us are so grouted, so polished or so complete that we can just sit down and say, "Well, that's it. I'm a spiritual being, the picture is done. What's for lunch?"  Spirituality is a pulsing, evolving connection with God and others that doesn't end.

As we journey through our lives, whether we are seeking a purpose for our brokenness or reaching out with our wholeness, let's continue to remember it is the triune relationship between the artist, the media and the audience - each part essential - in which the spirit thrives.