Mended Shards

By: Amanda Renée Bishop

A small table and chair set is positioned on the stage. A broken flower pot with dirt and a flower sticking out of it, as well as a pair of eyeglasses sit atop the table. A trashcan sits beside the table and chair set.  Behind the table is a small hutch with drawers or doors containing tape, sticky tack, rubber bands, twine and an unbroken flower pot. 

The scene opens with the lights off. A sound of a breaking pot is played in the background.

Lights up.

Mindy: Ugh! My nice flower pot ruined, all because I got in a hurry to get my glasses and I didn’t bother to turn on the light. How do I fix this? (tries to put the pieces of the pot back together with no luck.) Maybe I can tape it back together? (walks over to the hutch and gets some tape,returns to the table and starts cutting tape pieces) Seriously!  (tape sticks to her fingers) I can’t even use tape properly.  Ok, I’ll try something else. (MINDY walks to the hutch and gathers some sticky tack. Returning to the table, she puts several small balls of sticky tack onto a piece of the pot) This should work. Teacher’s use this stuff for everything. (MINDY begins  attaching both pieces together) Well that didn’t work either. Maybe teacher’s don’t use sticky tack for as much as I thought. (thinking) Something has got to work, this flower pot was so pretty. (MINDY goes back to the hutch and pretends to dig around in the drawer. She then pulls out a ball of twine and some scissors.) Here we go, this will surely work. They use twine for art projects on those house shows and make it look so easy. (MINDY very loosely wraps the twine around the flower pot and makes a bow. Then pretends to cut off the end. She sits the pot back down and because the twine is so loose the pieces fall apart.) This doesn’t look anything like those crafty people make on the tv. I need something tighter. ( MINDY goes back to the hutch and digs around, returning to her seat with rubber bands. She tries to tie them around the pot.The pot is still obviously broken.) I give up! ( MINDY takes pieces of the broken flower pot and throws them into the trash can. After a moment she pulls a couple pieces back out. Sitting back down at the table, she closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, then opens her eyes and plays with the dirt around the plant as well as the broken pieces left from the pot.) God, I feel like this broken flower pot, (glances at the trash can and then down at broken pot pieces) like a big screw up. (deep breath) I know though, that you say otherwise. I look to you and your word for help. (reaches for Bible) I know there’s something in here about pottery. (moves pages) Here it is..

Isaiah 68:4

But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are the potter; we are the work of your hand. 

(MINDY bows her head in prayer) 

Lord, life has been really hard recently. I ask for your help. As the potter, I pray you would mold me into the person you would have me to be. I pray that you would smooth my jagged edges so that I could be whole. Amen

(MINDY opens her eyes and places hands around the flower that is now without a pot) This flower is beautiful despite what it’s been through.( sigh followed by a light bulb moment) Wait, I’ve got it! (MINDY walks over to the hutch and opens a drawer, pulls out a flower pot and returns to the table) This pot should work great. (she places the flower into the pot and pretends to arrange the soil) Beautiful. Now you can grow and thrive just like you were intended to.

(sits the plant back down on the table and admires it)  I too can grow stronger, heal and leave the past behind, with God’s help. (MINDY grabs her bible once again and moves the pages) 

Philippians 3:13-14

No,dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. 

(curtain)