I love how God teaches me little lessons in the most simplest of ways. He touches my heart with how He speaks to me on my, human, practical terms. This lesson came in the form of a old glass tea pitcher that means the world to me.....
A few years ago, my father and I were waiting to have some minor repairs done on my car, and we decided to walk over to a little antique store to pass the time. I loved walking with him, and having him tell me what some of the old farm stuff was for, and hearing stories of who in the family might have happened to have items just like the ones we were seeing. I ran across this little glass tea pitcher....it was sitting on the bottom shelf...and had been well loved. It had this little chipped place right at the top of the rim, and I suppose, due to it's imperfection, had earned it's less than perfect selling spot. I walked around with it, debating on whether or not to spend the money on such a trivial, unneeded item. I was a new mom at the time, working part time, and couldn't really justify the purchase, and so...I left it on that bottom shelf. A few days later my dad walked in with this "package" wrapped up in old newspaper, and moved me to tears when I unwrapped the little pitcher. I know that most people would not have spent the money on something that was damaged, but I love that pitcher. Each time I make sweet tea or lemonade, I run my finger over that spot and make up little stories as to how it got there....I imagine a long ago time, and another mother stirring her special drink for her family. This day though, as I was daydreaming about the chip, God spoke to me,...."That's how you are to me, you know".
I have to admit, I had to "mull" that over for a few days, and pray about the lesson God was trying to show me in comparing me to a broken, old pitcher. This morning I think He revealed His answer, in reminding me of:
2 Cor. 4:7 (NIV): "We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves"
God reminded me that I am like that chipped, imperfect pitcher, in that as much as I loved it from the first moment I saw it, how much more does He love me? He still chose me, in spite of my mistakes, my imperfections, He sees past all of that, and understands that I am still usable to Him. My body, my "tent" might still be broken and worn, but inside...in the part of me that is alive...my soul....inside is where He can dwell and through my obedience can be useful to Him to "shine" His light and love to all the other "broken" vessels around me. He reminded me that if we are willing, He can take the most feeble, the most uneducated, the weakest of us and accomplish His greatest goals. Look at the disciples if you don't believe that. What a "ragamuffin" bunch, but He used them to change the world. If they were able to accomplish all that they did, how much more can we, with all the technology God has blessed us with?
He showed me that without my mistakes, my "chips", I cannot understand forgiveness, and until I understand forgiveness, I cannot understand mercy, and until I understand mercy, I cannot understand grace, and until I understand grace, I will never obtain and know compassion. And without compassion, I might as well be an empty pitcher. without compassion, I will never understand how to let "Him" shine from within this broken vessel. Instead of seeing myself as that imperfect, useless, weak earthen vessel, I have to learn how to recognize that it is in my failures, that I truly learn to walk in His abundance. That is what will draw others to us, that is what will be what they see in us that gives them hope....hope that they also matter, and are worth that second glance, or that place higher than the bottom shelf. I also hope to be more diligent and obedient in extending that same grace to the people God has placed in my life. I sometimes get "holier than thou", so "hell-bent" on seeing your mistakes, that I forget about my own. I can only pray that God gives me that true, Godly compassion, to see the world through His eyes, each time I see a chipped, broken, damaged pitcher,.... or teacup, ....or person, .... that I remember this lesson, and I see the value that He places on the things that this world throw away.
Today, I am thankful for learning to see things as they were meant to be, rather than how they appear to be.....I am thankful for a Father who loves me so much more than a broken pitcher and each time He touches me remembers our journey together........but most of all I am thankful that I have a Father who sees potential in me, sometimes when I don't even see it myself.......onward to the tomorrow of this journey....but for the grace of God go I......
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