Burnt Clay in the Hands of the Potter
Yesterday afternoon, the girls and I made some clay earrings for Valentine’s gifts, and it was lots of fun! But what these happy pictures don’t show is that the first pan burned in the oven, and we had to start over. 😩 Scorched jewelry was NOT in my plans, and I was definitely frustrated at first. But the girls had a great attitude about it… and I realized it was actually somewhat of a gift to be able to share an experience together to reframe failure as learning, give ourselves grace instead of expecting perfection, and try again when something didn’t work the first time. I talk about growth mindset all the time, and these are the life lessons I hope they’ll remember and take with them into future situations way more important than crafting.
As I spent time working on the second batch of clay, my mind was flooded with the metaphor of God as our potter, and us the clay in His hands. “But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” (Isaiah 64:8) How often do things in our lives “burn” in a metaphorical - or sometimes even literal - sense, and it’s hard for us to believe in the moment that any good could ever come of it. And yet, that’s exactly what God, as our Potter, does with the “broken” fragments of our lives. He pieces them together into a beautiful mosaic, often in ways we’d never imagine on our own. And when we inevitably make a mess of things, He lovingly, patiently puts us back together - more beautiful than before, with deeper knowledge of His presence and goodness, and pieces added to our testimony that allow us to be able to minister to others from a place of empathy.
As I rolled out the clay again and again, often restarting a few times to fix imperfections here and there, I was reminded of the Lord’s ultimate patience with us, as He leads us through the process of sanctification. I’m amazed at how, as He reshapes and uses my failures and mistakes for my good and His glory, nothing is wasted. Unlike how I tossed out the full contents of our burnt batch of clay, God the Potter takes all my sin, my missteps, the suffering that’s par for course in this broken world, and He somehow uses it all, working it all together for GOOD. Its honestly unfathomable, the extent He dearly knows and loves each of His children!
Philippians 1:6 promises “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” As long as I live, He’s still working on me! What a relief, because I even get tired of myself sometimes, lol! I think the words of the old children’s song say it best…
“In the mirror of His word
Reflections that I see
Makes me wonder why He never gave up on me
But He loves me as I am and helps me when I pray
Remember He's the potter, I'm the clay
He's still working on me
To make me what I need to be
It took him just a week to make the moon and stars,
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars
How loving and patient He must be
'Cause He's still workin' on me”
- Joel Hemphill
On this Valentine’s Day and every day, I’m deeply grateful to know, love, and be loved by a God who loved us first, who never tires of us and isn’t done with us yet, and who promises to make beauty out of our ashes.