What I learn from clay…

I would love to be able to share that I am out of my hormonal funk. Unfortunately this nasty cloud of toxic thinking still hovers. It feels as if it is stuck to me with super glue.  On the upside I do recognize that being the mature grown woman I am I do not have to let it invade all areas of my life. I may feel crappy emotionally as well as physically, this does not give license to make the others with in my sphere of influence miserable.

I may want to inflict bodily harm and I am trying my best to keep it to myself.

But I digress.

I was looking for some relevant scripture to post over on the facebook page I set up for our pottery studio this morning. If you want to go over and take a look at our page here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/WildcatPottery. I try to keep it updated with all our current inventory.

But I digress again…

maintaining focus also seems to be influenced by hormonal deficiencies…

Anyhoooo, I found this piece of scripture from Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 18:3-4

³ So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. ⁴ But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.

What’s my take away fro,m this verse?

“But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands”

I just had to laugh, it is so true. The woman who set up the studio commented to me the other day about this very thing. We were discussing how to properly price our items. She said “That’s why most pottery is so expensive!” There is a HUGE percentage of operator error involved. For every one successful piece there are probably several that failed. I can attest to that with 100% certainty. I am still shaking off the discontent at having pulled a piece from the kiln only to have the glaze be TOTALLY not want I wanted.

When I think of how God is my Heavenly Potter, I recognize how very true and relevant that is to me in my every day life.

If I will allow myself to be molded by His direction then things in my life will go as He plans.

However there are a lot of variables in getting a successful end result in pottery. Just like there are a lot of Heavenly variables to staying or trying to stay in right relationship with God.

There are a few hard and fast rules for clay and God.

Clay can not be rushed. There are some things you can do to speed the process along but the reality is that there is no way to start and finished a bowl or tea pot or whatever it is you are making in one sitting.

God can not be rushed. His timing and His time are His alone. When I seek instant results I am always looking to the world and not to Him.

Next, and this one is HUGE! I am an imperfect being. I will never be able to achieve perfection in anything I do. There will always be some element of design or form or whatever that will not turn out as I want it to be. I know there are lots of production potters out there that have been practicing their craft for decades, they may be able to toss a lump of clay on the wheel and produce vessel after vessel all to the same specifications. This takes decades of practice and since I am in the second half of my life I am still working with a HUGE learning curve.

Most days I am happy if I can actually get the clay to turn into what I have in my head. The other day I sat down to begin making another tea pot. I am slightly obsessed with them these days. Well the end result was not a tea pot.

God is perfect and I am not!

Lastly, what really spoke to me in the Jeremiah text was “But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands”. How many times have I been at the wheel and have something I was working on become marred in my hands. Too many times to count.

I will share with you one of our favorite saying over at the pottery studio: “It’s JUST clay!” It’s dirt and water and a few other thing tossed in the mix but the reality is that it's just clay. If is fails there is always more clay at hand. If it fails we just toss it in the recycled clay bucket and make it into new clay. If it fails we turn it not a water bowl for the dog or sponge bowl for the studio or another item for the $1 table at our next sale. 

Nothing ever goes to waste. I like that!

Then there is Isaiah 64:8

⁸ Yet you, Lord, are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.

When I look deep into the comparison between the clay in my hands and the process of being molded and shaped by My Heavenly Father I am humbled by the obvious lesson there.

When I think of the lengthy process I go through to actually have an idea in my head and then bring it to completion. Well, let's just say that I am working on Tea Pot #4 now because models one through three all leak, dribble or wobble in some way shape or form.

Anybody want a Doorstopper Tea Pot or a Flower Pot Tea Pot or a….. just let me know!

Every time I sit at the wheel I am reminded of the process that God goes though with me on a daily basis.

Will I be obedient?

Will I be forgiving?

Will I be a bold witness?

Will I be compassionate?

Will I be whatever He wants to mold me into for today!

He really is The Potter and I am just a humble lump of clay!

Blessings

R