“Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Isaiah 64:8 NIV

When my kids were young, we would go to a pottery shop. This was a place where you could pick an unfinished piece of pottery like a bowl or a plate, an ornament or a small box, or anything they had, to paint and finish. They would “fire” your finished creation in the kiln and you could come back the next week to pick it up. It would be beautifully glazed and hardened and ready to use. Have you ever been? Do they still have places like that?

We would choose something we thought our friends might like for Christmas or a birthday. We would all discuss how we would paint it and get to work. The kids were always a little upset that their work was not as perfect as they would like. I reminded them that no one is perfect, but our friends would love the pottery piece because they had made it.

This Bible verse compares God to a potter who shapes clay into beautiful pots. We are the clay pots that God molds and forms and lovingly works with His hands. God creates each one of us to be uniquely us! He loves each one of us, and wants us to have good things. Not one of us is perfect. But God made each of us exactly like we are supposed to be.

The above picture is a beautiful pot that a potter made to remind us that even though we may be broken or cracked or imperfect we can still shine the light of God for others to see. God uses our imperfections to shine His love and light through us to those around us.

Shine!

When we are weak, God gives us strength.

When we are broken, God gives us healing.

When we are unsure, God gives us purpose.

When we are imperfect, God gives us forgiveness.

When we are God’s children, God gives us His love and light to shine to the world.

This week – shine! Shine God’s love with a smile and a kind word. Shine God’s forgiveness by forgiving others. Shine God’s purpose, by helping someone. Shine healing by encouraging and comforting someone. Shine God’s amazing light because you are a beautiful clay pot fearfully and wonderfully made by the work of God’s hand.

Blessings and God’s shining light!