In the Hands of the Potter

I have always loved art.

Growing up I have been in love with music since I could remember and for so long, music was the only form of art that I took hold of and held dear, but over the past several months, I have been drawn to different art forms, mainly pottery.

I have never done any pottery myself, but for some reason I want nothing more than to sit at a pottery wheel and create; have that time of peaceful surrender. I want nothing more than for my brain to stop traveling a hundred different directions at once and just be able to sit there, hands in the clay, working toward something beautiful. 

This afternoon I spent some time with a dear friend who has experienced this several times. I was blessed with the opportunity to learn from her older, wiser heart about how potter actually works. She talked about the fragility of the clay and the pot, she talked about how the clay had to be centered or it would fall to pieces. I learned about the firing process of the clay and that when the clay goes through the fire it is at it's most fragile, but after the fire, the clay is tough and resilient. The pot is then covered with a glaze that is apparently ugly when you put it on. The pot is then put through ANOTHER fire and after the second fire is when the lump of clay has made its final destination into the beautiful pot.

While listening about the process of how pottery works, I quickly realized that she wasn't talking about clay anymore. She wasnt talking about how clay is formed into beauty but how GOD forms US into beautiful vessels built to carry his spirit!

How beautiful are the hands of the Lord for creating us. He makes us all different, some of us are big sturdy pots, some are beautifully refined bowls (the list could go on) but, no matter how we were made, we were all made for ONE purpose. To be the vessel that carries the lord to others.

what a gift!

Maybe one day I will get to live that dream of making pottery, but for today I will rest content in knowing that I was handmade by my father to carry his word and spirit to whoever I come across. I was put through fires, fires that sometimes seemed unbearable, but fires that have toughened me up and have made me to shine the beauty of God's handiwork.

So when you are in the fire,feeling like you could easily break, remember that the Lord has put you through that so the beauty of his handiwork can shine through you!

Losing Sight

The past few weeks have been packed full of events, classes, spending time with friends and attempting to do math problems that I have no chance at understanding. I have been so preoccupied with life on this earth that I have lost sight of the big picture.

I have been so concerned with getting places on time, making sure I say hi to everyone I know, trying to be an example to younger girls (and the list could go on and on) that I have forgotten the reason I was given these opportunities. 

I have lost sight of my God who rescued me from the pit I was trapped in for so long. I have lost sight of the blessing of a quiet moment with my lord. I have lost sight of the importance of talking about God in conversation. I have lost sight of the necessity of God-centered relationships.

I want to see again. My prayer is that not just me, but that we can all take a step back, stop looking at the how when and why and remember why we do the things we do. It is not for us...it is for the GLORY OF GOD! I pray that we can show God to those who dont know him and that we can have relationships centered on God with our brothers and sisters.