Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows that it’s
common for me to say, “It was an accident.” While this phrase was learned early in childhood and used frequently as a defense in order to stave off the punishment I knew would surely come whenever something got broken, in adulthood, it came to be a phrase that was intentionally spoken and produced smiles as its’ utterance invariably evoked memories of childhood antics and shenanigans that had been performed with all the exuberance and recklessness of youth, which, invariably, contained many ‘accidents’.
This morning, “It was an accident” was out of my mouth nanoseconds before my favorite coffee mug impacted with the countertop and shattered beyond all repair. I stood and stared at the many pieces for quite some time as I quietly mourned the loss of this ceramic companion of the last twenty years. We had shared many cups of perfectly brewed coffee each morning and
comforting cups of hot tea or chocolate during cold, dark winter evenings when the wind howled and the snow swirled outside. It had been the perfect size and shape for me to cup my hands around its warm exterior in order to chase the deep-seated cold from my fingers, or to ease the ache in my hands from long days of work.
As I swept up the mess, I thought about how the search would have to begin – immediately! – for a new favorite mug. Any old mug simply would not do as an appropriate replacement. This search could quite possibly be a lengthy process as the new mug would have to be just
right with the correct dimensions, shape, balanced weight and fit for my hands. Anything less would not be acceptable. To some, this may sound excessive; to the rest of you, I know that you understand completely what I’m talking about as you, too, have a long-standing relationship with a favorite mug (or cup or drinking glass) of your own.
Irreparable, this mug’s usefulness was done and it could no longer function for what it had originally been designed. The fragments of broken pottery clinked and thudded as they fell through the pieces of garbage in the trash bin before finally settling into silence at the bottom.
Isaiah 64:8 “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”
God fashions each person much like a potter creates vessels on his wheel. Each is designed according to the craftsman’s intent and for a specified function. God – the Master Potter
– created us in His image for specific purposes.
Romans 9:21 “Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?”
Over time, as we grow and our work evolves, our functionality also needs to change so that we can successfully meet the demands of the tasks that are set before us. Often, we will have to be reshaped – sometimes broken and remade - into a new vessel that can better accommodate the new work requirements we have been given to complete. Our Creator is faithful and eagerly works with us - the willing vessels – to gently transform us, at precisely the right time and in exactly the perfect way, into what His ideal is for each one of us.
Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
When we feel as if we no longer have use or are cracked or broken beyond repair, God does not chuck us into the trashcan as a worthless or hopeless case. He still has a plan for us. And it’s a good plan!
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
If you are willing, He will place you onto His potter’s wheel and gently mold you into a vessel that will be just right for the work He has for you to do.
It’s not too late. He does have a purpose for you. The choice is yours. He’s waiting for you.
(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)
common for me to say, “It was an accident.” While this phrase was learned early in childhood and used frequently as a defense in order to stave off the punishment I knew would surely come whenever something got broken, in adulthood, it came to be a phrase that was intentionally spoken and produced smiles as its’ utterance invariably evoked memories of childhood antics and shenanigans that had been performed with all the exuberance and recklessness of youth, which, invariably, contained many ‘accidents’.
This morning, “It was an accident” was out of my mouth nanoseconds before my favorite coffee mug impacted with the countertop and shattered beyond all repair. I stood and stared at the many pieces for quite some time as I quietly mourned the loss of this ceramic companion of the last twenty years. We had shared many cups of perfectly brewed coffee each morning and
comforting cups of hot tea or chocolate during cold, dark winter evenings when the wind howled and the snow swirled outside. It had been the perfect size and shape for me to cup my hands around its warm exterior in order to chase the deep-seated cold from my fingers, or to ease the ache in my hands from long days of work.
As I swept up the mess, I thought about how the search would have to begin – immediately! – for a new favorite mug. Any old mug simply would not do as an appropriate replacement. This search could quite possibly be a lengthy process as the new mug would have to be just
right with the correct dimensions, shape, balanced weight and fit for my hands. Anything less would not be acceptable. To some, this may sound excessive; to the rest of you, I know that you understand completely what I’m talking about as you, too, have a long-standing relationship with a favorite mug (or cup or drinking glass) of your own.
Irreparable, this mug’s usefulness was done and it could no longer function for what it had originally been designed. The fragments of broken pottery clinked and thudded as they fell through the pieces of garbage in the trash bin before finally settling into silence at the bottom.
Isaiah 64:8 “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.”
God fashions each person much like a potter creates vessels on his wheel. Each is designed according to the craftsman’s intent and for a specified function. God – the Master Potter
– created us in His image for specific purposes.
Romans 9:21 “Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?”
Over time, as we grow and our work evolves, our functionality also needs to change so that we can successfully meet the demands of the tasks that are set before us. Often, we will have to be reshaped – sometimes broken and remade - into a new vessel that can better accommodate the new work requirements we have been given to complete. Our Creator is faithful and eagerly works with us - the willing vessels – to gently transform us, at precisely the right time and in exactly the perfect way, into what His ideal is for each one of us.
Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
When we feel as if we no longer have use or are cracked or broken beyond repair, God does not chuck us into the trashcan as a worthless or hopeless case. He still has a plan for us. And it’s a good plan!
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
If you are willing, He will place you onto His potter’s wheel and gently mold you into a vessel that will be just right for the work He has for you to do.
It’s not too late. He does have a purpose for you. The choice is yours. He’s waiting for you.
(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)
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