There is one scene where the main character - Toula makes
the decision to date a ‘non-Greek’ and hide it from her family. Toula tells her entire family that she is
going to a pottery class - while instead - she is out with Ian Miller. Obviously, this only lasts for a hot minute
and one of her cousins discovers the secret.
The cousin confronts Toula at her workplace when she catches the couple
kissing. The famous words from her
cousin’s mouth; “Well Hello Mr. Pottery Class!” makes me laugh every time because Ian Miller
is obviously anything but potter class.
This stuck in my head for years until one day I found the
perfect opportunity to use it! My
husband and I visited family a few years back and they invited us to, of all
things, a pottery class. I posted this picture
below and titled it: “Well Hello Mr. Pottery Class!” 😊 I
know only a few will get it, but I couldn’t help myself…
God has many lines (scriptures) in His word that I repeat
daily to feed my soul and give me comfort and sometimes a laugh too. One scripture that hits home is Isaiah 45:9. I
can see God speaking these words to me daily…
“Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are
nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to
the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘The potter has no
hands’?
If you have ever seen the process of creating pottery, you
would know it is quite the undertaking for the Potter. First, the clay needs to be kneaded by hand to
work out the air bubbles. This process takes time because the clay needs to be
warmed and constantly kneaded to eliminate soft spots and made the clay more pliable.
Next the Potter takes the clay and places it on the wheel to
start forming the bowl. The skills of
the Potter are shown as He carefully shapes the clay. It is tough to rework the clay if mistakes
happen, so the Potter takes His time to create the masterpiece.
Finally, there is a firing process that hardens the bowl. The pottery is placed in a kiln for 12 hours at 850 degrees Fahrenheit. The fire removes the physical and chemical water so the piece can be glazed without returning to mud and breaking. The temperature is then dropped from the 850 degrees and the bowl remains in the kiln for 48 hours.
The bowl is then removed and glazed or painted.
Now why am I sharing all of this with you? Because as scripture says, God is the Potter,
and we are the clay He is forming for His will in our lives. He is refining us through daily kneading and
fire. We can’t become who He has created
us to be without the Potters hand in our lives.
When we try to change in our own strength, we fail miserably. I know I do.
However, the process is not always neat or comfortable. I complain
when I am kneaded into the shape He has intended for my life. I am a mess
sitting on the potter’s wheel like a lump covered in water. I then cry out when the fire gets hotter in
my life. “Where are you God?!”
Free will steps in. I sometimes fight the process. I need to put myself on the alter as a living
sacrifice as He does His will in my life.
I struggle daily with that. Someone shared with me recently that it is
hard to keep a living sacrifice on an alter because it keeps jumping down. I try not to jump down as the fire gets
hotter. I need to trust Him with everything.
I am so grateful for His grace and mercy towards me as I often
complain through the entire process. I
need to trust the method, even during the pain, knowing He has my best interest
at heart.
Side note, did you notice no two pieces of potter are identical? That is the same for us. God has created us uniquely different. Not one of us is identical to another
person. Even ‘identical’ twins are not. God created us each differently to be a part
of the body of Christ. How awesome is God?
So - next time you see a piece of pottery, thank our
Heavenly Father for continuing that process in you…
Jeremiah 18:6 (NIV)
He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter
does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in
my hand, Israel.
Isaiah 45:9 (NIV)
“Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are
nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to
the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘The potter has no
hands’?
https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Pottery
No comments:
Post a Comment