The Potter And The Clay

“If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. f we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts..” – 1 John 1:8-10.

Scars. They tell stories, don’t they? We may have fallen off a bike or you had your appendix out or maybe they are emotional rather than physical scars. We all have them.

The physical scars are often easy to hide. The emotional scars not so much. The physical scars tend to fade over time. If only emotional wounds worked that way. You’re betrayed by a close friend, lose your job, unexpectedly lose a family member, or have a miscarriage. Any one of those leave scars. There is no band-aid to fix these problems, nor does the pain fade quickly.  We begin to think our lives are useless, or broken, that our talents are wasted, and our dreams dashed. It is at this time we need to remember that God can make a masterpiece out of any vessel. “ And yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand.” (Isaiah 64:8)

Not that we don’t need some work. There are many rough edges in every one of our lives, but God can polish away all our imperfections, blemishes, failures and scars through the working of the Spirit in our lives. God starts with crude non-distinguishable chunks of clay and begins to mold us with love and care from His Son. He begins working His grace in our lives and slowly creates the form that resembles a work of art in human form. Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

God has proven by the power of His death and resurrection that He desires to heal us, restore us, and set us free. Be content with your imperfections and your progress, knowing that even if you’re not quite where you want to be, God is not finished with you yet. He is working on making you the masterpiece He created you to be. 

I wish every scar magically disappeared, but that usually is not the case.  Remember that God has the ability to take every scar, and as the Master Potter that He is, He will take it all and make you better than ever.   

Your life in Christ is a thing of beauty that even Michelangelo in all his glory could not even come close to creating.

Discussion Questions:

1. Can you remember a time when you tried to make something out of clay? How did you do? What did you make? How did your project turn out?
2. What’s the most difficult thing about being the clay?
3. What can we do this week to be better clay for God the potter.