Have you ever been forced to play that game, “If you were an appliance what would you be and why?” I am never very good at this game because I can think of many appliances I want to be but none that really shed light on my inner most being. Lately, I feel like God would say the answer to this question is ” You are a jar.”
2 Corinthians 4: 7 ” But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
The imagery of a jar of clay being mold and shaped by the hands of God keeps coming to my mind. We are the earthly vessels for God. Like any clay jar we have imperfections, flaws and we break easier than we care to admit. Once we were perfect but sin has fractured our souls leaving us in need of much repair. Question, what makes the vessel stronger? Hiding the cracks and flaws or realizing that we can still be used. Strength is not the absence of weakness, but the courage to go on knowing you are weak. It is much harder to go on knowing that you can’t do something except by the grace of God. Usually, I am chalking most things up to the “grace of God” but how much do I really understand this statement. The breath that keeps my lungs from collapsing is by the grace of God. The salvation that keeps me from the pits of hell is by the grace of God. The love that flowed out of Christ and took my sin and shame is by the grace of God. The reality of the grace of God is heavy and thick and deep and high and wide and long. (Ephesians 3:18)
I can’t wait to get to heaven and see God’s perspective on how highly we think of ourselves. We assume that we are ____________(you can fill in the blank(s)). I assume that I am strong enough to deal with things that happen in this life. I am realizing that I have always been weak. And that is where God wants me. Dependent on him for literally everything. When is it the last time I was dependent on God for everything? Probably the day I was born. After that I am sure I started thinking that I could handle things on my own. I know that traveling to 11 different countries is going to bring many things I never expected to have to handle. I am praying from this day forward to run to God first. This jar is cracked and in need of much repair. I can’t handle things on my own. I need you God! I need you today even when things seem manageable. I need you in every country, in every situation, in every moment! Use me, cracks and all. Lord do anything you need to do in me so that you can do everything you want to do through me. (Thanks Ron Walborn I love this prayer!)
