Establishing goals is all right if you don't let them deprive you of interesting detours.

Doug Larson

_-----I have always been intrigued by the story of the potter and the vessel. It is amazing to see how a potter can take a simple lump of clay and make something so beautiful out of it. It is not an easy process, spinning round and round, being pounded and molded, being placed in a hot oven, but the results are so worth it. The amount of time spent on the wheel and in the hot furnace will determine the quality and beauty of the finished product.

     My husband comes from an area in Ohio that was famous for several well-known potteries. I remember the first time that I visited the Hull pottery. I saw piles and piles of broken pottery that did not make it through the furnace without cracking or had a substandard quality. There were also storerooms of seconds that were sold much cheaper due to their inferior worth. It was usable but not the desired possession of a collector.

     In Isaiah 64:8 we are reminded that God is our potter, and we are the vessel. Jeremiah 18 speaks of a marred vessel that had to be remade. Sometimes in the process of life we become marred and not a desired quality, and God has to put us on the potter’s wheel once again. It is not an enjoyable time as we endure stress, hardship or other undesirable situations. God allows us at times to go through extremely difficult circumstances that we would rather not face. This is, however, what makes us beautiful, strong vessels for the Lord when we submit to His will.

     It is so wonderful to see a life that began as an alcoholic or drug addict evolve on the potter’s wheel into a wonderful example of a child of God. This never ceases to amaze and thrill me. You might feel like just an ugly lump of clay, but you will be a prized and beautiful vessel if you only allow yourself to remain on the Potter’s wheel! In your difficult times, just remember that God is making you into a vessel of great beauty to be used of Him.