The Potter's Hands.

Happiness is...

The potter's hands. Today church was super amazing. They brought a guest preacher/potter in and he actually throws a huge vase during his talk so he can walk us through this sweet metaphor. God always said we are the clay but now I feel like I see that whole concept from a brand new set of eyes. You see, we start out as a hunk of ugly piece of earth and it's not until we actually are centered in the lord that we can begin to become something beautiful... I'm not sure how much you know about pottery, but if the pot starts off wobbly it just gets worse and worse until it flies off the wheel... Then he brought up how the potter has this great intent for us and starts to work on us from the inside. No one else can really see this work from sitting in the audience, but it is the most important step to becoming a vase because it hollows the bottom and sets the foundation to pull up the cylinder. When you watch a potter do this it really is spectacular, seeing a small mound become a tall, cylindrical mass. However, this cannot happen unless it's under pressure from the hands of the potter. Even once it's there, there are bigger plans too (though it looks great, it isn't the best piece of work yet). The potter swells the vase to create a piece of art. And only then is it fired. Imagine the process of the kiln, putting pieces in and bricking up the entrance, they endure high high temperatures and it seems dark and lonely but the potter is not far away, just outside the door adjusting the levels, watching the pots strengthen to the perfect amount. Do you follow that whole process? Can you picture the vase? Now imagine that as us, in our process of life. The end product is a solid vase, beautiful and ready to withstand the weathers. That is what I experienced this morning. Total mind blow. That was true happiness, sitting right there.