Baked to Perfection (originally posted March 2, 2008)

Isaiah 64:8
Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.


I must admit that in my family I am probably the least versed in pottery. Even so, I have a general idea of how the process works. You see I have heard stories ever since I was very young about how my family worked clay and ceramics. My Great gandmother had a small studio in an out building behind her house. She and my great aunt would spend hours creating pieces of ceramics and pottery that adorn the houses of my family even today.

My father has several pieces of pottery and ceramics that he made along side of my great grandmother. My aunt went on to run her own pottery store for several years.
It is a funny thing about pottery. All pottery starts out as glorified mud, wet mushy, messy mud. You can sculpt it, you can push it here and tuck it there, but it still is just a well shaped lump of clay.

In order for clay to move from useless lump to beautiful, useful pottery it must undergo a trial by fire. Pottery must be placed in a kiln to be heated. If the potter has not gotten out all the airholes, as the pottery solidifies the air will expand and cause the pottery to explode. If the potter has not taken care to properly mold and gauge thickness, the pottery will crack and fall apart.

What we, the clay, must understand is that in the end the clay is powerless. If we try to form ourselves, make something of ourselves apart from the potter, when the fires and test of life come along the holes in our spiritual life will cause us to explode. What could have been a beautiful useful life ends up in shambles cracked by the pressure of the world.

However, if we listen and follow the potters plan then we find that in his hands there is a perfect form or plan. When the pressures and fire of life come pressing in we have been designed to not only withstand the heat but come out on the other side a more beautiful and useful than when we went in.

Sometimes when hard times come we don't see that we are in the kiln. Many have called it baptism by fire. We go through a season of testing, and sometimes retesting and retesting. Once we have come through each season we are better equiped to help those that are about to start their firing process. They in turn come through intact and able to help others, who can help others.

Let us pray that the Father would find us moldable, pliable, willing to be formed, and worthy to be fired.