by Barbara Latta
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| Using the potter to reveal the truth about trials |
Okay, you may
be saying, not another story about the potter and the clay. If you have been in
church for any length of time, you have heard sermons preached using Jeremiah and
this illustration (Jeremiah 18).
This is not an
attempt to re-preach that lesson; however, a recent illustration at my church
showed me something else not usually seen in the potter and clay story.
A talented art
teacher was our guest speaker and while he taught he created clay works of art
on his potter’s wheel. Spinning the wheel with his foot, the talented hands
worked the clay until the object in his mind formed on the plate. His statement
that the clay is sometimes harder or softer sounds like us. Even though his hands
were forming, the clay had to submit to the fingers pressing in on it. If the
clay was too hard, the bowl he wanted to create did not turn out like he
planned.
Creating a bowl
was just the first step. If left in that state, the clay would dry but would be
fragile. The artist held up a bowl that had been left in the air to dry and the
edge had been broken off. When he tried to pick the bowl up by the rim, the
clay, although dry, was not strong enough to withstand the pressure of his
hands. The teacher flicked his finger against the rim of the bowl and the
pottery made a dull klunking sound.
We all know
pottery must be fired to complete the process. The next bowl on the table had
been through one firing. The teacher flicked his finger against the rim and a
ringing sound was heard. The firing of the clay had made the clay stronger and
the sound happier.
However, that
is not the final product. A second firing is necessary after a glaze is applied
to create a beautiful color. But the second firing also created a more distinct
and bell tone ring when flicked with the artist’s finger.
A lot of
teaching has been used to say that when we go through “firings” of life we
become stronger. That is not exactly true. If it were, we would all be the
strongest of Christians because we all go through trials and difficulties in
our lives. What makes us stronger is
that when we go through those “firings” we overcome them. But if we succumb
to the
trial we become a pot of crumbled ash. Clay pots that go through firings
can come out broken and useless. The difference is in the strength of the clay.
Become ash or a singing vessel.
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| Become ash or a singing vessel. |
When we stand
on the Word of God to withstand temptation, discouragement and difficulty we
come out of the fire better than we were before and we have a song. A song of a
stronger faith, a song of deliverance from our Savior and a song of victory knowing
the next time we face something we have an arsenal of weapons in our fired
clay.
When we realize
these truths, we can view those fired times as an opportunity to become a
strong vessel. Trials don’t make us stronger. Standing strong through the fire
makes us stronger. God doesn’t send the
trials. The difficulties come from our enemy because he wants to discourage us
enough to get us to give up and stay away from the Word of God (Mark 4:17).
That’s why when we stand on the Word, we can be in the fire without being
consumed. And our song will keep on singing.
What does the
pottery reveal to you? Join the conversation.
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