Through the Fire

I intend to keep it up, the writing, the blogging, the revealing of the inside of my soul.

What is it about this season that has kept me away?

There is so much, much more than there is room to write. Much more than there is attention span to read it all.

One thing that has remained the same, my constant, my potter... God.

He has been bringing me through the fire for the last 2 Years, but it's been the last 6 months that HE has turned the heat up.

Jeremiah 18:3-5
So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.

Isaiah 64:8 But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.

Do you know the process in which a beautiful piece of pottery goes through?

Most of the time, when we admire a piece of pottery... it's the beauty that catches our eye, or the arrangment of colors, or the intricacy of the patterns... but we forget all about the process.

First thing is first... preparing the clay for throwing.

Just hearing the phrase "prepare for throwing" makes my stomach turn a bit. We are referenced as clay and the Lord being the potter... and we need preparing for the throwing??? This takes time my friends... this takes time. First the clay needs to sit in water, and the water needs to absorb the water completely to the bottom, it is done absorbing when the water is puddled up on top of the clay... this process alone can take several days to complete. Throughout that time, the clay is kneaded, pushed on and shoved around a bit.

I don't know about you but I don't like the kneading, pushing and shoving. Yet this is all a part of the beauty that the Lord is trying to complete in us. It hurts, it is uncomfortable, it is hard, quite honestly it stinks! BUT... in the end there is beauty!

Then the air bubbles need to be removed, this is done by making your clumpy clay more smooth and then covering the clay with plastic and walking ALL over it... time and time again until the plastic easily pulls away from the clay.

I like be walked on, but only when it is my 4 year old... it's just enough pressure that it feels good to my muscles, but place my 10 year old on my back and I a bit uncomfortable, place my husband on my back... and I can't breathe.

Then comes the compressing... more pushing, shoving, the clay giving in the the persons body weight.

Then the thought of being cut into in order to find more air bubbles that need to be worked out... NO THANK YOU! oh, sorry.. that is all a part of the end product which is absolutely stunning. Once the air bubbles are removed, then sections of the clay are made into small balls... NOW ready for the throwing...

I don't know about you, but I am worn out already just thinking about this process... and to know that there is MUCH more ahead.

Then comes the throwing... sounds like a lot of fun, if you are on the end of the throwing... but being the object that is thrown... not so much. Throwing is the spinning process on the potters wheel... the clay has to be fully centered in order for the throwing to work.

Sound familiar? It does to me, we need to keep Christ the center... I have heard these words spoken into my life since a child. Jesus needs to be the center, Jesus needs to be the center. Those words are truth... without Jesus being the Center, we are nothing but a clumpy mess of clay. But, when centered, HE is able to fashion us in such a way that only He can do. He makes us into a beautiful piece of pottery... but the road doesn't end there... we are still wet, we can still easily fall... we need to dry out and then be fired.

Wow, this process is really long. Just think about it... He is the potter and we are the clay. this preparing, kneading, walking upon... that is our life at different stages... the drying, yes we go through those really dry times... seeming parched and ready to break at any moment... so fragile before the fire....

Then this beautiful clay piece has to go through the most horrific process of firing. This is when you know whether or not the clay vessel is going to come out broken or stronger than ever.

Bisquing is the next step... this is when the pottery is pre cooked before the HIGH firing... the temperature here is up to 1900 * F ... seriously that isn't hot enough...

This is the way I have felt the last couple years... seriously Lord, this ins't HOT enough? Can it get much hotter than this?

there is some reprieve between the bisquing and firing... there is the glazing portion... but that is only where we come up for more air...

Then the firing starts... this process is so delicate... so precise... but SO HOT! it takes up to 2400*F in some cases to get the pot in the right shape.

The Lord has allowed for some firing to start in my life as of about 6 months ago... in so many different areas it's crazy. There are some days I don't know how much more I can take, and feel as if I am going to bust , and other days I wonder how much longer I can endure the firey flames.

The firing process can take as little as 6-8 hours, and up to a whole day... and that is while enduring that incredibly heat.

Yet we are parallelled to clay and God being the potter. This is incredibly intense. Do we fully understand the complexity of it all? Do we fully know just how much we are going to endure here on earth? No, but God does, and the potter knows best. If the fire is too hot, the pottery starts to pop and this is when it is all about to crumble and edges start to burst, if it is not hot enough... the pottery doens't come out strong enough and has imperfections... the beauty lies in the potters hands... This I am thankful for... I lie in the potters hands... HE knows what is best, He knows just how hot to make the fire for this ugly, dull piece of clay to come out in the end a colorful, intricately beautiful, and strong piece of pottery. A piece of pottery that can withstand the test of time.

I am Thankful that He isn't finished with me yet... as much as the firing portion is not fun... I know that the purpose is to strengthen me and fashion me into His beautiful piece of pottery... His daughter.

the firing continues... praise the Lord!

Philippians 1:6

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.