03/11/2026
Sometimes I feel pretty weary. Almost worn. “This again?” As I heave the burden back into its familiar spot. The same problem, same insecurity has rubbed me threadbare.
Recently, on a trip to a quilting museum, I was introduced to a mending technique used in impoverished Japan: Boro. Bedding and clothing were repaired with an indigo patchwork. Driven by economic necessity, this recycling technique was a sign of poverty. The frayed garments carried the outward evidence of harsh living and repetitive strain. But skilled menders sustained these garments for generations with a technique known as Boro.
How do these fabrics last for generations and still look threadbare and worn? Because with skillful stitches, indigo patches are applied from the inside. Each patch is woven into a more secure, insulated fabric, protected from its daily burden. The garment is literally renewed from the inside out. A Boro coat’s appearance is shabby, but it still serves its purpose. Boro is more than a piece of bedding or jacket; it's a state of being; a way of life. Boro stands in stark contrast to a culture today that often throws away items before they wear out. More than recycling, Boro is the reclaiming and renewal of something that, for all intents and purposes, has outlived its function.
Standing, looking at a suspended Japanese jacket patched together from within, I was reminded of a spiritual truth. There in a coat that was over 100 years old and had been used by multiple generations: God peeled back my perception of his work in me. “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16 NIV
Paul goes on to say that we are to fix our eyes on what is being done on the inside. The mending, the reinforcing of the fabric that sustains us, is placed from within. Verse 10 gives us perspective on our thinning exterior and exhaustion of this life. “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” When our exterior gives way, when our threads pull apart, we reveal the patchwork of Jesus.
We can boast in our tattered, tired lives because Jesus is giving this life its structure and reclaiming what feels and often is falling apart. Boro, Jesus is a way of life. What aims to destroy, crush, and perplex ultimately has no power to destroy us.
Wear this life, it’s your testimony of a skilled redeemer that is renewing you from within.