The Potter and the Clay

I came across a book called Beautifully Broken. It is a bible study guide for special needs parents. I couldn't read it because I couldn't get past the title! I was defensive, my thought was, "I'm not broken, and neither is my son just because he has a disability!"

Then I realized that maybe I had been looking at this all wrong, and perhaps misconstruing what was meant by the term "Beautifully Broken." When I think of broken, I think of a vase that has been smashed into a million pieces and then been glued back together. That vase will never be the same again, and the glue and cracks are a reminder that it is no longer as beautiful as it once was. There might also be shame that it got broken.

We can come to Jesus in our brokenness. He understands when we feel broken by our circumstances. The bible tells us that "The Lord is near to the broken-hearted." (Psalm 34) He is near, and He binds up broken hearts.

When I came to Jesus, he didn't glue me back together, He used his potter's wheel to remake me into a new vessel (Jeremiah 18:3).

The bible also tells us that His mercies are new every morning, and that Jesus makes all things new. He is our Potter, we are His clay. He sees our broken pieces, but instead of leaving us shattered and broken, He uses his potter's wheel to make us new vessels. (Jeremiah 18:3). He made us new the moment we surrendered our lives to Him.  

What about the times in our Christian journey when we feel broken in a million pieces? That's a valid  question. There is process in everything that Jesus does. Perhaps our scars or chips in the vase are reminders that we are unique. Maybe the cracks are on the inside, and nobody sees but us. Those are opportunities to let the light shine in. Even though we carry scars and imperfections, we are still God's workmanship and if we allow Him, our vessels can be used to display the power and glory of the Lord; and in the process, He will make us more like Him. He can take the the pieces to make something beautiful, and use us, cracks and all, to draw others to Himself.


Comments

  1. Lynn11 April 2025 at 20:33

    The Japanese people use a special technique called kintsugi to mend broken pottery. Kintsugi means "gold seam". The process uses gold to put the broken pieces back together, rendering the vessel more valuable than it originally was, and adding a depth and layer of beauty not seen before. That's what your post reminds me of. God never throws away the broken ones. He uses something a lot more precious than gold — the blood of Christ — to mend us and make us fit for Heaven.

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