When I was young there was a time I was experimenting with a new form of creativity. I would spend hours in the backyard of our property digging in the dirt, not looking for buried treasure, but down to find the ‘clay like’ dirt. With a bucket of water, I would work the dirt into a poor man’s clay and form interesting shapes and let them dry in the sun. One day I thought I’d try to make a container for my mom. It would be a five inch cylinder shape about 2 ½ inch high, so she could put her treasures in it.
First, I mixed a specific amount of water to make my ‘clay’ so it was not too wet or too dry. I worked and kneaded the clay to ensure a thorough mixing so the clay would hold together and the container would not have weaknesses once dried. Then I carefully formed the bottom circle as flat as possible, working up the sides to the desired height. I pushed, squished, flattened and fixed to get the clay into the exact shape I wanted, and finally it was complete. I even formed a flat top for it that had a grip for lifting. The sun dried the container by the next day and I presented it to my mom… who didn’t want it. (So I broke it.)
“The next time,” I thought, “I’d make it prettier and maybe she’d want it.” So it was about a week later I had a new container completed. This time I decided to paint it, but as we didn’t have any paint, I improvised and used toothpaste. I carefully smeared it lightly all over the sides of the container and lid, and when it dried, it turned a lovely white colour, and it smelled good too! Alas, my mom didn’t want that one either. L
We are also containers originally made of dirt. “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Gen. 2:7) God formed us with His own hands. Now, He could have spoken us into being as He did the other things, but He chose to be more personal. He is the potter and we, the clay:
But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Is. 64:8
…Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand… v.6
Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour (like a chamber pot)? Rom. ,21
The Lord took particular care to form each of us into the vessel He desired, some as ornate golden pitchers and others as plain chamber pots (I’m more like this!). The thing to remember is He made us the way He wanted us to be, and put us in the earthly situation required to be fired in the kiln the way we needed to be. Who are we to question Him? The great thing is that because we are His vessels/ containers, He already wants us! “…they shall be my people, and I will be their God…” (Jer. 24:7) He already loves us! (Rom 8:35-39) He already thinks of each one of us- all the time! “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!” (Ps. 139:17)
You are loved
You are wanted
For you are the work of the Lord's "own hands".
(Ps. 138:8)