The Master Potter

Recently, our school acquired a kiln. A whole new world of art has opened up for our elementary students, most of whom have physical disabilities. With the patient guidance of our art teacher, our students have plied clay to form pottery bowls and rolled clay into strips to make woven pottery baskets. When the raw clay pieces are finished, the art teacher “fires” them a first time, a process called bisque firing. She brings the fired pieces back to the students to be painted, or “glazed.” This is the part that fascinates me the most. The teacher sets out a number of jars of paint, each labeled with a color name. If they were not labeled, we would have no idea what color the paint was supposed to be. We trust her that the color that looks light green will actually be red, and the light purple will turn out to be yellow. The students delight in painting their artwork, and love to use a lot of different colors. As I assist eager little hands grasping flailing paint brushes, I find myself thinking, “okay, this will be a mess!” The art teacher smiles and tells us “these will be great!” and she carries them away to the kiln to be fired a second time. When she returns with the finished pieces, I am amazed…each piece is unique and utterly beautiful. The more varieties of paint that were used, the more beautiful the finished product turned out to be. Some of the pottery bowls went home for Mothers’ Day, and I am sure there were many delighted mothers.
“O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand”{Isaiah 64:8). What a profound analogy to reflect upon. God is forming each of us into a work of art, unique and beautiful. His hands are perfectly skilled, he does not make mistakes. The paint, or gloss, can be likened to the experiences of our lives. Each experience adds a dimension to who we are and brings us closer to the finished vessel our Potter plans for us to be. In our Christian journey, we are to “make every effort to add to faith, goodness, and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control, and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love” (2 Peter 1:5-7). As we eagerly attempt to pursue these qualities with unskilled hearts, our masterful Potter guides us through each life experience, adding, as it were, another color. We have to trust the Artist, because often circumstances in our lives don’t appear to be what we would expect or hope for. Trials come, refining us like fire, “so that our faith may be proved genuine” (I Peter 1:5-7). Our Potter knows exactly how much heat we need. Without the heat of the kiln, the pottery would remain fragile and plain. When heated at just the right temperature, for just the right amount of time, the pottery becomes a piece of art, a beautiful masterpiece, reflecting the glory of its Maker and given a place of honor in His house. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand…” (Jeremiah 18:6). How thankful I am to be in those hands, or this clay would be a mess…

Mother's Day

And I pray that you, being rooted and established (“grounded” KJV) in love, may have power….to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love, that surpasses knowledge…. (Ephesians 3: 17-19). I just enjoyed the best Mother’s Day I can remember. There simply is no sweeter gift than spending the day with family, savoring good conversation, lots of laughter and the adoring attention of beautiful grandchildren. Truly, my cup is running over! The highlight of my day revolved around the planting of a tree. When my daughter, Lisa, was asked what she wanted for Mother’s Day, she said she wanted a dogwood tree for the backyard. My son-in-law delivered a sizable young tree while we were all together this afternoon. Each of the men took a turn to help dig the hole for the root ball, while Lisa mixed the overturned dirt with soil conditioner. Carefully, the tree was positioned in the hole, and the enriched soil was mounded around the root and pressed gently down around it. As we were all standing around admiring the new tree, my daughter suggested we offer a prayer of thanksgiving. Spontaneously, we held hands while she offered a simple prayer of thanks. She thanked God for the tree, for the special day, for all of us being together, and especially for the gift of family. It was a spontaneous moment, but it touched us all and moved some of us to tears. Reflecting on the day as we drove home this evening, I thought about that tree and the life-lessons that are so deeply interwoven into all of creation. A family is very much like a tree. I think of my mother and father in law, who were with us today, as the root of our family. They have set the example as pillars of faith and have helped each of us to become “rooted and grounded” in the love of God. As our lives have become established in the fertile soil of our God, His love has begun to flow in and through each of us, and we have become the branches, always reaching further and higher. It is our relationship with Him that has united, strengthened and enriched our family beyond measure. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener” (John 15:1) I love the picture of God as a gardener….after all, He planted the most beautiful garden imaginable in the garden of Eden. And I don’t think it is insignificant that when Mary first saw Jesus after His resurrection, she mistook Him for the gardener (John 20:15). God is the Master Gardner, and I pray that, as a family, we will bear fruit to His glory…”I am the vine, you are the branches….this is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit…” (John 15:5-8). I am going to love watching that little dogwood tree as it grows….especially on Mother’s Day…

“Don’t remind me!” is often the response we get when we wish someone a “happy birthday.” When we were young, we couldn’t wait to grown up. But as we cross that line considered “middle age” it’s as if every birthday reminds us of our mortality. It’s hard to see the vitality of youth giving way to aches and pains in places we didn’t even know we had places. Phyllis Diller once wrote that her body was falling so fast her gynecologist had to wear a hard hat! One good thing about growing older is the deeper realization that life is a gift, and it is a gift that bestows a great responsibility and wondrous opportunity. Around the first of the year I asked one of my dearest friends if she had a new year’s resolution. I was expecting an answer that revolved around a physical goal, like weight loss or “getting in shape.” Instead, with a look of resolve in her eyes, she responded, “To seek first the kingdom of God.” She added that although some physical goals were still important, they were no longer a priority in her life. I have thought often about what she said, and I have prayed that this would be my daily resolution as well. In praying about it, I have tried to understand the depth of what it means to “seek first the kingdom…”My friend was quoting from Matthew 6:33, where Christ tells his disciples to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things (material provision) will be given to you as well.” I am astounded by how many times Christ refers to His kingdom. Matthew 4:23 says “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom….” His parables often centered on the kingdom. He said “this is what the kingdom of God is like…” as He began two parables, one about the growing seed and another about the mustard seed. Even the prophecies about Christ in the Old Testament focus on government….”for to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders….of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end” (Isaiah 9:6-7) Yet, His government is not here yet. Matthew 4, verse 8 states that Satan took Christ “to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. All this I will give you, he said, if you will bow down and worship me.” Christ conquered the kingdom of darkness on the cross, but He has not yet deposed it’s ruler on this earth. “A day of the Lord is coming…the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west….the Lord will be king over the whole earth…” (Zechariah 14:1-9). Referring to that same period of time, Isaiah prophesies “They will not harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Is. 11:9). No wonder Christ taught his disciples to pray “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). So we are “Christ’s ambassadors” (2 Cor. 5:20) representing His coming kingdom. We are called to be “the salt of the earth…the light of the world,” caring about the things He cares about, being about “our Father’s business”(Luke 2:49, King James version).
And so, to my dear friend, and all of my friends and family in the faith, “I thank my God every time I remember you…in all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel ….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”…the day of His return, when we will reign with Him as kings and priests (Rev. 1:6). May we all seek that kingdom above all else.