Wordless Wednesday

© Karen Kyle Ericson, all rights reserved.

In my last post, the potter and clay came to mind.  There's much more to the story.  When I was studying for my Bachelors in Fine Art, a required course was... POTTERY!!!  I was terrible at it.  I'm clumsy and my pots turned out crooked or with a 2 inch bottom ...  Not my best grade in college for sure; no worries, I aced painting.  In Pottery class, I learned the basics.  It's amazing how much it relates to being a Christian.

Creating a pot begins with a big block of clay, like all the people in the world, God chooses us because we chose to follow Him.  I had to select the right size chunk out of the block for the pot I wanted to make.  He has a plan for all of us. Once selected, you knead the clay to get all the bubbles out,  you add a bit of water to make the clay soft.  It reminds me of when I started out with Jesus, I was full of bubbles (sin, didn't know the Bible at all, wrong ideas).  He had to work out those bubbles, and the Bible provided just enough living water to soften me up so I'd be open to His teaching. 

Once the clay is soft and the bubbles gone- it's time to throw it on the wheel!  If you are coordinated it lands in the middle of the wheel.  Can be a long process... sigh.  But not for the Master.  Then you place both of your hands on the ball of clay.  If you are using a manual wheel, you kick it with your foot to make the clay go round in your hands while adding a bit more water.  This is called centering the clay.  Too much water and the clay goes splat.  Jesus centers us on Him.  He is very good at this.  This is when we learn to trust Him and not depend on other things to make us feel good or safe.

After the clay is centered you leave one hand on the outside of the ball and place your fingers in the center using your thumb on the outside to bring up the walls of the pot.  If you press too hard the wall gets too thin and collapses.  Two hands and a foot moving at the same time?  This reminds me of when we try too hard to make ourselves into something He doesn't want us to be.  He's the Master Potter and knows just the right amount of pressure to apply.  When I tried to make pots, I'd press too hard and squish the pot then have to pull off the clay and knead it again.  Sometimes we experience this in our lives with Christ.  We fall away and seek the Lord to bring us back to Him; His patience is amazing.  For me, after a time like this I am all the more eager to be centered on Him and things go much better.

Next comes the kiln, where the pot is placed in a fiery furnace and made strong, ready for use.  For us, to be His servants.

Challenge sponsored by Katie Lloyd Photography