A couple of weekends ago I went to a community "Heritage Days" here in the Valley. One of my friends was with me and we wandered around the different tents, admiring the jewelry, homemade soap, the musicians and the beautiful fall air.
We stopped by one booth, a soapmaker's, and two little girls greeted us. They made us smell each bar of homemade soap that their mother had made. There were lavender bars, coconut, pineapple...as well as one that smelled like apple pie!
We stopped by one booth, a soapmaker's, and two little girls greeted us. They made us smell each bar of homemade soap that their mother had made. There were lavender bars, coconut, pineapple...as well as one that smelled like apple pie!
We wandered down a few booths and found ourselves watching a potter as he shaped a piece of clay into a bowl. I felt rooted to the spot. I watched his gentle, yet firm, hands as that little lump of clay turned into something amazing.
As I watched him, a scripture came to my mind:
O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as the potter?
saith the Lord. Behold as the clay is in the potter's hand,
so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
Jeremiah 18:6
As I watched him, a scripture came to my mind:
O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as the potter?
saith the Lord. Behold as the clay is in the potter's hand,
so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
Jeremiah 18:6
Clay in the potter's hand. I have thought of this before, but never had it entered my soul with so much force! We are clay in his hands. He is the Potter! He will mold and shape us to fit His idea of what we need to be. Sometimes the Potter needs a bowl, sometimes a vase. Sometimes He needs a pitcher and others he needs plates. Each have their separate uses, yet each is useful.
My friend and I continued to watch the potter while we wandered through his tent of pottery. There were vases, pitchers, plates, bowls, cake platters and jewelry. Every piece was completely different from the others No two plates were alike. Yet each had it's own unique beauty that set it apart from all of the rest. We returned to watch the potter.
"You see," he said, "this piece here will be a base for this bowl, and together they will make a candy dish."
Two beautiful unfinished pieces. Combine them to make something even more beautiful.
"But this base has been drying in the sun too long. It has gotten a little hard. But that's okay, I can still work with it."
He dipped his fingers into a bucket of water and proceeded to wet down the edges in preparation for his fingers to shape the edges. He started his wheel and began to push his fingers into the hardened clay.
"I have to dig down into it to get it to move." He said. I saw that his hands were dirty and covered in clay as he shaped the piece.
How like my heart this is! When I have been out in the sun too long drying, or in the world too long, or I have turned from the straight and narrow path just enough...I have become hardened. I have become dry. Do I want to be able to change? Do I want to become the beautiful piece that the Master Potter has intended? Or do I want to remain as I am? His hands are gentle...why can't I trust them?
I felt like I needed to share this. And so I am writing about it now. I can still remember how powerful a testimony it was to me:
The Lord cares about each of us. He wants us to succeed! He wants us to become everything we have imagined, and that He has imagined! Can you imagine becoming what God wants you to become? Incredible!
He is in our lives. His hands are molding our experiences, tailoring them so that we can grow, learn and become everything He has in store for us. His hands are so far in our lives that, just like the potter, they are covered in clay. He loves us so much!
Before I left the potter's tent, I bought a memento to remember the important lesson that the Lord had taught me that day. It is a small thing, but enough for me to remember His love and care for me:
My friend and I continued to watch the potter while we wandered through his tent of pottery. There were vases, pitchers, plates, bowls, cake platters and jewelry. Every piece was completely different from the others No two plates were alike. Yet each had it's own unique beauty that set it apart from all of the rest. We returned to watch the potter.
"You see," he said, "this piece here will be a base for this bowl, and together they will make a candy dish."
Two beautiful unfinished pieces. Combine them to make something even more beautiful.
"But this base has been drying in the sun too long. It has gotten a little hard. But that's okay, I can still work with it."
He dipped his fingers into a bucket of water and proceeded to wet down the edges in preparation for his fingers to shape the edges. He started his wheel and began to push his fingers into the hardened clay.
"I have to dig down into it to get it to move." He said. I saw that his hands were dirty and covered in clay as he shaped the piece.
How like my heart this is! When I have been out in the sun too long drying, or in the world too long, or I have turned from the straight and narrow path just enough...I have become hardened. I have become dry. Do I want to be able to change? Do I want to become the beautiful piece that the Master Potter has intended? Or do I want to remain as I am? His hands are gentle...why can't I trust them?
I felt like I needed to share this. And so I am writing about it now. I can still remember how powerful a testimony it was to me:
The Lord cares about each of us. He wants us to succeed! He wants us to become everything we have imagined, and that He has imagined! Can you imagine becoming what God wants you to become? Incredible!
He is in our lives. His hands are molding our experiences, tailoring them so that we can grow, learn and become everything He has in store for us. His hands are so far in our lives that, just like the potter, they are covered in clay. He loves us so much!
Before I left the potter's tent, I bought a memento to remember the important lesson that the Lord had taught me that day. It is a small thing, but enough for me to remember His love and care for me:
May we be mold-able clay every time He has a new design for us.
2 comments:
As I was reading your post I was listening to the song his hands. i thought it was coming from your page and I thought that it was a pretty good fit....I found out it was coming from my page... I love you Anne thanks for sharing this.
Beautiful post, Anne. Thank you! Have you heard the song, "Masterpiece"? I think it's by Julie DeAzevedo. Anyway, it goes along with this really well. The chorus says:
"So everyday I pray He'll write His will upon my heart,
Mold my soul to His design,
Adding color, depth & light
And polishing until I shine, shine, shine.
Oh, my heart is in His hands
He's painting the life He'd have me lead.
Through refining floods and flames, He's smoothing edges and the seams.
And in time, time, time I hope this simple life will be
A Masterpiece."
Oh! I found it! http://tinysong.com/zpyw #musicmonday #nowplaying
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