Mirror, Mirror...Why Am I Here?

In a quiet potter’s workshop stood rows of freshly made vases. Each one had been shaped with care on the wheel and fired in the kiln. Before the Potter set the last vase on a high shelf, He leaned in close and whispered a promise, “You are My beautiful creation. Soon I will use you.”

As it sat on the shelf, the young vessel began to notice all of the other beautiful vases in the room. All beautiful creations of the Potter's hand! Anytime now, the Potter would be back to keep His promise. The vase waited all day, and then all night, but the Potter did not return.

Days turned into weeks. The other vases were regularly lifted down, carried into the showroom, admired by passersby, and returned to their spots at the end of each day. 

Meanwhile, the one vase remained on its lonely top shelf, collecting dust.

Then one morning the Potter returned to the lonely vase's shelf... only to deposit another - taller, with exquisite detail and polished to a shine - onto the same shelf. It was then that the lonely vase caught a glimpse of its own reflection and everything finally made sense.

Its shape was different. Its color was different too. No ornate decorative details, no glossy finish. No wonder no one ever took it down. It wasn't worthy of the admiration of the Potter or the passersby.

Years passed. Dust thickened. Hope was replaced with self-loathing. The vase spent it's days wishing to be admired like the others. Quiet envy gradually turned to bitterness. And before long, the vase had all but forgotten the Potter's promise. 

Then one day the Potter returned — this time with His Son. They stepped up to the shelf and stopped right in front of the dusty vase. The Potter gently lifted the ugly vase, smiled and said to His Son, “I fashioned this one especially for you. When the time is right, it will hold the wine for your wedding feast. It has always been meant for this moment.”

The Potter wiped away the dust with careful hands, and began the final, loving work of perfecting it — polishing, glazing, and preparing it for the greatest celebration it could ever serve.

 

The Quiet Pride of Hopelessness That Steals My Joy

The vase’s greatest struggle wasn’t that it was plain or different. Its greatest struggle was that it became so focused on itself that it forgot to trust the Potter while it waited. 

That’s pride in its sneakiest form — when we make our feelings, our appearance, and our comparison to others the center of the story, instead of God’s Word and His timing. Hopelessness is the lie that I believe when I'm trusting in myself, but joy is the gift that I receive when I stop getting in His way.

What Scripture Says About Me

The Bible is full of this same truth:

“Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” (Isaiah 64:8)

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139:14)

I Am a Constant Creation

If you feel hopeless, helpless, lost or unloved - If you’ve been sitting on a dusty shelf feeling unseen, I want you to hear this today: the Potter has not changed His mind. The promise still stands. He is not finished with you — He is preparing you. 

You are not overlooked. You are not forgotten. You are not “less than.” You are being carefully prepared by The Potter, and constantly perfected by His Son. Accept His plan for your life, ask for wisdom and peace and joy.

Then take back the joy that was stolen and take refuge in His word.

"Father, forgive me for the times I’ve been so focused on myself that I stopped trusting Your promises. Teach me how to cast my pride aside and experience your joy. Thank You that I am clay in Your hands, not defined by the shelf or the dust or the comparison. Help me rest in Your timing and believe that You are preparing me for something beautiful. In Jesus’ name, Amen."

Does this speak to you?

During a morning prayer/dog walk, I felt the Lord gently nudge me about something we all struggle with — pride. Not the loud, arrogant kind, but the quiet, sneaky kind that wraps us up in ourselves until we become “nose-blind” to it. Or, how it causes us to become so wrapped up in our own thoughts, circumstances, and how we see ourselves that we slowly start believing lies about our worth.

An analogy came to me so clearly that I had to write it down. And one thing led to another. If you know someone who can use this message on a daily basis, my new The Potter's Workshop wood plaque can be found below.

Anyway - I hope it meets you exactly where you are today, and that this has blessed you.

— Noelle