The Vision Within

In some ways, this is a revisit of a blog I wrote back on April 15, 2023 entitled Beauty in the Broken. I will repost that here before going on into this new season.

"All throughout scripture, we as human beings are likened to pottery. We are as earthen vessels created by a master potter. Jeremiah 18:2-6 says, "Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. ³ Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. ⁴ And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. ⁵ Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ⁶ O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel."

Knowing that God is our Potter, however, does not always negate those feelings of helplessness, hopelessness and unworthiness that we feel. When you think of your life as a vessel, created on the potter's wheel, it's easy to think of being useless when you feel broken. Broken and shattered, we try to sweep up the pieces to throw them away. We think we have to start all over because we are so broken, a'la Humpty Dumpty from our childhood nursery rhymes. But Psalm 34:18-19 says, ' The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: But the Lord deliverth him out of them all."

In Japan, they practice what is called kintsugi, literally meaning "golden repair." It highlights and enhances the broken places of the vessel, adding value to the broken object. It joins the fragments together, giving them a new refined aspect. Because of the randomness of the breaks, every piece is unique in it's own way. It suggests several things in it's use: 1. Don't throw away the broken object. 2. Just because it's broken doesn't mean useless. 3. Broken things are valuable." 

This was written almost 3 years ago and it still rings true today. But I can look back over this time to see how this vessel has changed in the hands of the Potter. While there were no gaping holes or marked impurities that would cause the vessel to shatter in the kiln, there is still work to be done by the Master Craftsman. 

Just because the outward vessel appears ready to be glazed and placed in the kiln, there is yet work to do. You cannot develop the designs and intricacies that the vessel will display if you fire it too soon. While the clay is still moldable and able to be shaped, the Potter will study the piece to decide what this vessel will say to the world.

Will it be a pitcher, filled with refreshing drink on a hot summers day? If so, lets mold in a spout for pouring and a handle...oh the handle has to be perfect. If it's too thin and small, it will snap under the weight of the liquid inside when lifted up. It its too large, it becomes uncomfortable and difficult to use. What was a beautiful vessel has now turned into a decorative piece that no one can use, either because of its brokenness or because of its lack of ease in use.  Hmmm...

I am going to be honest, for the last four to four and a half years, I have felt as if I were being beaten on, hammered, chiseled, blown up with dynamite, pounded and when it stopped, it would start all over again. I questioned why and how long forgetting that creating a masterpiece takes time. It takes effort. And it takes patience.

It's as if I can tell you the day that all the pressure stopped and no, its not going to be the day most will think I'm going to say. You think I'm going to say the day Matt died, when the weight of caring for him was lifted off of my shoulders. But that wasn't the day. The day was in August and I remember it vividly. 

From that point on, I've concentrated on writing, reading, studying, praying, seeking. These are the small, minute details which the Potter is carving into the vessel now. As He uses that blade or stamp to carve through to leave His mark, every line begins to form a picture. Sure, the vessel can still fall here and have to start the process all over but a small mistake can still be easily corrected. It would not take a complete breaking down to start over. 

You see, I'm learning that being a vessel in the hands of the Master Potter is a continual process. He is ever shaping and molding, cutting away to form new parts. It is ever changing, ever flowing as He looks at what He has created to see the vision He has for its use. Our choices have a bearing on this too. If we go left when His vision had us right, well that may just have to reshape the vessel a bit.  But it will still be the vessel He intended it to be. 

Many years ago, I wrote a poem entitled At The Potter's House, where I ended the poem by talking about the vessel coming out of the fire of the kiln as a completed vessel ready to be used by God in His kingdom. As I've been sitting here writing, He's showing me that as long as there is breath in my lungs, I will be the vessel in His hands to be molded and shaped. The vessel will not be finished until you cross over to the other side and you hear the Master say "Well done." But as He is creating, each step you take or word you speak brings more of His vision to life. He sees what lies within the clay when He first chose you to form. He has watched you as you grew when He began shaping who you would become. Now He's looking deeper, beginning to draw out what you've locked down inside. He's looked past all your failures to see the vision He's created begin to come alive.