I Am The Potter!

Last weekend, I got the treat of being taken out for the day by three special friends. Mark's roommates' wives organized a day for me, that was anything but ordinary...and so much fun!

We met for breakfast at Breadwinners, one of my very favorite places! And, then talked about what we wanted to do from there. There were plenty of good options to fill our day, but we did two things that were new to most of us.

After a couple of stops at stores we love, we went consignment shopping at The Buffalo Exchange. Man, I wish I had pictures. A very interesting place,with lots of character for sure. We had so much fun picking out things for each other (well, actually, our fashion consultant Melissa just dressed us all. :) and we all found some cheap, fun new things to take home.

The next stop was Sonic (of course), and then on to the final destination of the day: Quiggly's Clayhouse, a cute place to paint and make pottery. Now, I have been many times to paint my own pottery. But, never before have I made my own pottery. As in, sitting at a potters' wheel and spinning clay!! I was a little skeptical about my ability to do this, and was wondering if they really could teach us non-artistic women how to do this in such a short time. But, I can honestly say, that it was SO MUCH FUN and very relaxing. I laughed harder than I have in a long time, and had a great time getting to be creative too.

Before we began:

During the fun: (We're all laughing as Melissa's pot caved in and became "a rare art piece" instead!)

And, look at us now! Artists covered in clay!What began as balls of clay...Turned out to be a table full of this!

What a fun experience! I think I'm addicted now, and am planning to take my girls back for a kids' class!

It wasn't until the next day (thanks to Lacy's insight!) that the analogy of "the Potter and the clay" hit me. And, the more I thought about it, the more I was struck by the amazing truth there is to God as our Potter. As we learned this new skill, the instructor--who had years of experience and a much better perspective than we did--taught us how to shape and mold our clay, as well as what we could do to save our pot from destruction at any point. At times, this required quite a bit of force, to get it re-centered on the wheel...before it could become something useful. But, every move had to still be done steadily, without sudden movements or harsh pressure. The clay had to be pinched and squeezed, gently pulled with a specific technique, and sometimes we (the potters) had to start over because it was too thick in some part or was not going to be strong enough in some parts. Our instructor could tell just by looking at a piece of art that it did not have a foundation that would hold it up, and would then tell us "that will eventually crack and fall apart if you don't do something about it". There were times when he had to "slice off" a part of the top of a bowl or vase because it was uneven, lumpy, or out of proportion. This was all done so that the end result was beautiful. And, along the way, our instructor would exclaim "Perfect!" or "That's beautiful!" or "Don't touch it!!" because he was happy with the results of our gentle pushing and pulling.

Wow. Just as He says, God is our potter and we are His clay. We are lumpy, thick in some parts, and often times found with a shaky foundation. So, in His great sovereignty, He gently and steadily pushes, pulls, reshapes, and molds us into something better...and more beautiful. What an amazing God we serve. Keep molding me, Lord---ever so gently---if it means I am more useful in the end!!

"Yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter. We are all the work of your hand." Isaiah 64:8

Jackie, Lacy, and Melissa: You girls did a great job of planning the day, and I enjoyed the fellowship and fun so very much. Thank you for a day away and for the being the kind of friends where we can pick up right where we left off...even if it was WAY too long ago! :)