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Crossing Cultures Devotional Memoir

Missing beauty

“Lord, you are my portion and my cup of blessing; You hold my future. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance” (Psalm 16:5-6).

Beauty? Our first year of living in Karachi, my eyes saw the sand and dirt. Trash along the roads. The walls and buildings that matched the browns of a desert landscape.  

two boys standing on a street with trash littered all around
Street scene. imb photos

Nothing seemed pleasant. Or beautiful. 

I decided “pleasant places” must refer to the believer’s spiritual condition. Certainly not physical surroundings. Not this desert megacity, anyway. 

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Devotional

Broken bowl and the Potter

The simple Indonesian rice bowl broke. 

It was a “free with purchase of dish detergent” blue and white china bowl. So common and ordinary. A reminder of my childhood. 

But it slipped from my hands, hit the marble countertop in our Delhi flat and broke in two. The last straw in a long day, week, month…year. 

And I broke.

Ordinary, simple vessel on the floor in pieces. 

Plain rice bowl on batik.