My kids bought me a pottery wheel for Mother's Day.
I've tried to add things to my life that would make God's Word come alive to me...I've planted flax so I can imagine it growing in the fields of Egypt during the 10 plagues, and drying to make linen in Rahab's upper room. I've planted hyssop to imagine the Israelites taking a stalk and applying the blood to their doorposts, and the Roman soldiers offering Jesus a drink of sour wine from a stalk while He hung on a cross. (I've not been successful with hyssop yet, so I'm still imagining.) I named my dog Achsah to remind me of Caleb's daughter, who boldly asked her loving father for the upper and lower streams--Living Water--as a wedding gift. I have an olive tree--artificial-- but it's still a reminder that I can only flourish in the presence of God. So I set my heart on a pottery wheel so I could get a better idea of what Isaiah 64:8 truly means:
"Yet LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our Potter; we all are the work of Your hands."
So today, I had a few hours to try my hand at pottery. I've been preparing for this big event by watching YouTube videos on set up, preparing the clay, throwing the clay, how much water to use, educating myself on what tools do what. I brought out an old table and a borrowed stool, set up close to an outlet, and tied my apron on. In spite of all of my prep, I promptly forgot all I learned. God is not a potter like me....
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do." Ephesians 2:10
He is completely prepared, and completely able to accomplish. But back to me...😉
I sat at my table, my wet hands firmly around my prepped and thrown clay, put my foot to the pedal, and did the equivalent of driving 100mph into a brick wall. My clay went spinning, flying off the wheel, off the table, into the grass. I lost control of my potential masterpiece. God is not a Potter like me...
"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; If I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast." Psalm 139:7-10
"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand." John 10:28
After some time and practice, I started to get the hang of it. As I would cup my hands, the clay would get taller; or I could lay my flat hand on top and make it flatter like a plate. If I stuck my thumbs in the middle, a hole would form, causing me to dream of all the candlesticks, jewelry dishes, and--dare I dream--coffee mugs I would be able to make. But because I am a novice, I would inevitably put too much water and it would be back to being a gloopy mess; or not enough water and it would dry and break. It seems like I could only operate in one speed --100mph--because I wanted to hurry to my dreams.
But God is not a potter like me...
"The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation." Exodus 34:6-7
"The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." 2 Peter 3:9
I "made" a few bowls and cups and plates--none of which survived the process. But that's ok, I'm just a beginner. It was very relaxing and satisfying to see what I could accomplish with clay, my hands, water, and centrifugal motion. (Will anyone else admit with me that we only know that term from "This Kiss" by Faith Hill???)
But then the mess...The apron protected my clothes but that's about it. I forgot to take off my jewelry, so I may be picking clay out of the crevices for a while. There is clay in the grass, on my the table, in the basin, on the dog. 😂 Clay doesn't just wash off, it leaves a residue on everything it touches (including on Landon who was my spectator/videographer 😂) After all of my effort, I was not in the mood to clean up. I was there for the fun, not the work.
God is not a potter like me....
"I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9
God is not afraid of going the distance with us. He's not just here for the "fun" (good thing, right??), He's here for the mess, too. He doesn't grow weary like I do, He doesn't get frustrated like I do. He is stubbornly loyal, steadfast, faithfully loving us through the whole, COMPLETE process, which includes both the beautiful, satisfying masterpiece and the dirty, sweaty clean up. Over and over and over again. He never tires. God is not a potter like me.
I will get my pottery wheel out again. Because my kids bought it for me. Because it was relaxing. It was satisfying to see the clay form and fail and form again. It really brought me joy. I hummed and sang "You are the Potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me, this is what I pray" on repeat. But most importantly, I learned that God is not a potter like me, and I am so thankful.
"From ancient times no one has heard, no one has listened to, no eye has seen any God except You who acts on behalf of the one who waits for Him. You welcome the one who joyfully does what is right; they remember You in Your ways. But we have sinned, and You were angry. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins? All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind. No one calls on Your name, striving to take hold of You. For You have hidden Your face from us and made us melt because of our iniquity Yet LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are the Potter; we all are the work of Your hands."
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