This week at school, we watched a little video
about Native American life. There was a
Native American woman who was talking about making pottery. She was describing and demonstrating the
process. She said that the first part of
creating pottery is mixing the clay. She
mixes 2 different types together and it is an integral part of the process
because the clay wouldn’t have substance.
The she showed us how she stepped into the clay and mixed it with her
feet. She said that when you step into
the clay, it is extremely cold at first.
The more you work it with your feet, the more it warms up and responds
to your body temperature.
I
thought about how the Bible tells us that we are like clay. As the woman was describing the process, I
thought about the Lord being the potter.
How He mixes with us and creates a product of substance. Without having Him, we don’t have much
substance. Before He lives in our
hearts, we are cold: but we respond to Him and become a part of Him, in His
likeness.
Then,
the Native American woman started talking about actually forming the pieces
from the clay. She said that when you
start working with clay, you start with a basic idea and as you work, the clay
just naturally comes together and becomes what it supposed to be. She said that the clay is so special that you
never waste it; you never throw even the smallest piece away.
I’m so
glad that the Lord didn’t throw me away.
I was pretty basic, but he worked and worked until I formed into
something in His image…which is what we are supposed to be. The Native American woman finished up her
presentation beautifully, by saying this, “When you are making a piece of
pottery, you never disrespect the clay in any way. You work with it and do what you can. One misunderstanding that novice potters have
is that you can make the clay into anything you want. Clay will never form into something that it
doesn’t want to be.”
Our
potter gives each of us a choice. He
doesn’t disrespect us and force Himself on anyone: it’s our decision. He works with us and gives us the choice and
opportunity to be what are supposed to be.
He will never make us what we don’t want to be, but gives us the
privilege and opportunity to become whatever we want for Him!
“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.”
Isaiah 64:8 KJV
