By Beth DeCristofaro
This word came to Jeremiah from the LORD: Rise up, be off to the potter’s house; … Whenever the object of clay which (the potter) was making turned out badly in his hand, he tried again, making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased. (Jeremiah 18: 1,4)
Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” (Matthew 13:49-50)
Piety
Lord, You are the Potter and I am the clay.
Mold me and make me, have Thine own way
Lord, I need Your Spirit, Lord, I need Your grace;
Help me to run this Christian race.
Lord, I give my life, I give my all to You,
To be a willing vessel, to use me through and through.
Mold me and make me, have Thine own way
Lord, I need Your Spirit, Lord, I need Your grace;
Help me to run this Christian race.
Lord, I give my life, I give my all to You,
To be a willing vessel, to use me through and through.
Have Your way,
Have Your Way in me.
(from "Lord You Are the Potter," Norman Hutchins lyrics)[i]
Study
Sewing is my creative hobby. Or, truth be told, my hobby is better described as collecting fabric with which I plan someday to make fantastic pieces. Watching a potter one can marvel at her designing eye, flexible and strong hands, patience, and an artist’s desire to use her materials well. I keep scraps of fabric after projects as well as cloth I’ve never used for years because to throw them away, still useful and beautiful, just seems so wrong.
How much more does the Lord value us, His raw material being shaped to worship and build his kingdom. How it must pain Him to imagine his creations being discarded. However, he gave us free will allowing ourselves to be thrown on His wheel or not. Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB, states “The fact is that the only purpose of the spiritual life, the Desert Monastics tell us to this day, is to begin to see the world as God sees the world. It is about becoming the self that sees life through the eyes of Jesus and then, like Jesus, bends to become the miracle the world awaits.[ii]
Action
Our choices, habits, biases, anxieties, obsessions can make us spiritually misshapen and lumpy. God still loves us deeply! Pray that God helps you distinguish how you can turn back to Him. Pray for the strength to practice, practice, practice new approaches and to fast from what is your obstacle to God. Step out in faith as you turn and are thrown on God’s loving, creative wheel.
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