I have made the earth and created man on it….Isaiah 45:12
A number of years ago, on one of our jaunts, I can’t recall where, Ken spied a piece of pottery that really caught his eye. It was brown, which met one of his criteria for selection, making it not overtly feminine. But the thing that really grabbed him was the unique design. It looks as if the potter has created a perfect vase up to the neck, but then it begins to appear that the clay collapsed upon itself. I’ve seen that happen to works in progress, and the potter simply folds it over, reworks the clay, and starts from scratch again.
However, I believe this potter intentionally chose to create an object which gave the illusion of a perfect pot that morphed into a piece of great interest because of its very unique form. And I’m no potter, but I believe it took some skill to create the look that he or she chose to pursue.
As much as Ken liked the pot, I found it lacking. It sat in a fairly prominent place for some time and eventually found its way into his collection of vintage tools and other guy things. We were preparing for a garage sale this past week when he “discovered” it all over again. He came in from the garage, all excited about a piece of pottery hiding in the corner of a cabinet with his tools. I quickly reminded him of the first time he discovered it, and then he wandered over to his chair to examine it more closely. When the light from his lamp fell on it, I really saw that vase for the first time, and it became a lovely object in just the right light.
I instantly witnessed a correlation between that vase and God’s children. We all start from a master plan, perfectly shaped, everything alike. Then the ultimate creator adds the special touches that give each of us our individuality. We come in many different sizes, shapes, and colors. There are brown eyes, blue eyes, and lots of variations in between. Some have dark hair, some have light hair, some have curly hair, and some have straight locks. Some are thin and some are stocky. And no matter which collection of traits we are born with, we inevitably wish for just the opposite.
Sometimes God chooses to make a few extra alterations to the basic blueprint. A part, visible or invisible, is missing, or an extra is attached. Sometimes his masterpiece arrives with a deficiency that appears sad to those who have all their parts and everything works according to the original design. But here’s the special part. We’re all God’s special kids, each with a unique path that was charted before we were ever physically conceived. We need to open our eyes to the possibilities where we often see challenges.
The next time you start wondering why God allows “seemingly bad” things to happen, just remember, every child of His, no matter how young or old, whether with all their parts or missing some, whether a genius or someone who struggles to learn, even whether they agree with you or don’t, no matter what, He loves each one and created each and every one for a special purpose. God doesn’t make mistakes,
and he certainly doesn’t make junk.
He makes each of us in His own image. And just like that, the vase now looks perfect to me and is displayed in our home as a reminder that “different” has its own special beauty; it also reminds me that we’re all perfect in His eyes, even with, or maybe because of, our unique imperfections. He loves and sees beauty in all of His perfectly imperfect kids! And so should we!
See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! I John 3:1
Don’t ever let what someone else thinks or says about you be the factor that determines your value, because what God says about you is the only thing that really matters. Joyce Meyer, Quiet Times With God
The other bit of great news is that whatever has been said or done against us or whatever we’ve said or done against someone else, there is redemption waiting for each one of us. Every child, of any age, matters to our loving Father. So, let’s gear up to wage war on our hateful culture with abundant loving kindness. Let’s all get busy bringing Christ’s light into a dark world!
We love it when a friend tells us how sweet our daughter is and how she is always on her best behavior when she comes to visit. Or what about when the elderly neighbor says that your son is so helpful… he volunteers to take the trash out every week. We get all puffed up with pride. Something that we have said or done must have sunk into that teenage brain besides loud music and video games. We know that those crazy kids are growing into the kind of people we hoped they would be. But then we ask ourselves, “Why won’t they do it for me? Why do they make me feel like the evil taskmaster just for asking them to do a simple chore?”
grind of life, or we let ourselves sink so far into the pit of despair that we can’t see a way up from the bottom, and then along comes Jesus. He offers us a way out and a way up. No matter how rough the ride, He’ll be right there beside us, meeting us where we are and taking us where He wants us to be. He wants us to be “all in” with Him.
I contacted the company owner that evening to see if he had us scheduled for stump removal. He didn’t, but said they would get to it as quickly as they could. A week later, no one had come to claim the stump, so we called the company owner again, and, long story short, on Saturday morning, I heard a commotion outside the bedroom window, again at 7:15. You guessed it, they were here to chip the stump. (I’m sure the neighbors were thrilled.) For the next hour or so, we listened to the sound of a large stump being chipped from the ground along with the larger roots radiating from it. We were then told that he would be back, as soon as scheduling permitted, to remove the pile of chips, which now resembled a giant anthill; we’re talking more than two feet high and six feet in diameter at its base. The birds and squirrels are having a field day with it, digging, pecking, and tossing chips everywhere.
When we are finally able to sow grass seeds, water and sun will work their miracle of growth, and we should see progress toward a new section of lawn in a couple of weeks.
But, guess what, this year they bloomed anyway, and I was thrilled. Apparently, there must have been an old branch tucked somewhere underneath that sprouted and developed into things of beauty.
year. There was no way there could be blooms on that tree. But he kept pestering me until I gave in and went to check on a tree that I was certain had no blooms, just so Ken would give up and let me get back to what I was doing. And do you know, it wasn’t a prank. There, on my three-year-old magnolia tree, were three perfect blooms, one for each year of its life. My excitement was overwhelming. I watched those blooms in wonder until they finally faded and fell from the tree. A few months later, the tree died from some unknown reason, but God had rewarded my care for that little tree with three gorgeous blossoms that I will never forget.
completely, meaning no money would ever change hands. Our personal finances would all be handled electronically, and cash would be another dinosaur of our past. But, even if cash and checkbooks are going the way of two-dollar bills and cursive writing, we still need to know how to make and stay on a budget, and that’s a real challenge for many people. Disagreements over money rank high on the list of reasons why relationships go astray.
Temptation is knowing what is right while still feeling the desire to satisfy our inevitable curiosity. 
Let’s face it, she likes most any kind of shopping. She was ready to head out the door as soon as her mom left, so we grabbed a bite of lunch and began our big adventure. It doesn’t take long for her to find something she thinks she wants. She has her shopping budget and must make choices that she can live with. After careful consideration, she went home that first day with only one small item and most of her money still in her purse.
