I made this vase in pottery lessons last year. It's not beautiful, but I made it.... so I love it.....
To make it you lay two separate slabs of clay over another perfectly rounded bowl which was worked on a potter's wheel.
After that you scrape the edges with a sharp tool and wet it with water until you have a mushy, messy surface.
The mushy clay edges are then laid on top of one another and you use a tool to smooth the outside edges until the join disappears.
After this you make a small hole at the top into which you blow air and the shape takes on a perfectly rounded form.
The lip is added on later. Also using a tool, water and scraping of the surface.
Afterwards it was glazed and put into the kiln to seal the colouring onto the surface.
Two weeks ago Michael was sitting at my feet rolling it around-gently-threatening to break it. He wasn't happy about something I had asked him to do and he was letting me know by taking something precious of mine and threatening to destroy it.
I knew I had to remain calm. I knew fighting it out of his hands would end up with a broken vase. I knew I had to wait patiently for whatever the outcome would be.....
I could tell by his tone that he was only threatening.....testing to see who had the power?! I waited calmly.....and then asked him to return it to it's place. Testing his boundaries.... testing the strength of the vase he dropped it from a very low height.
He was shocked........to regretful tears.
I reached down to him and gently took his hand. Knowing he had learnt a lesson I held him and then led him gently to his room for bed time. I wasn't angry.....
In fact I had great peace that the lesson learnt was one of such importance to him.......
I never knew it would be for me too.......
A night or two later I was woken in the night and couldn't get back to sleep. I've had times like this before. Times when I lay there and think..... or times when I lay and listen....
HE spoke to me about HIS Love and how, because HE loved me first, I can receive HIS forgiveness and HIS perfect Love too. HE told me about the way in which HE sees me, clothed in HIS royal robes. And that because of these new robes I no longer have to see myself through the worn out tattered rags of my past (old thoughts/habits/experiences which labeled me). I'm LOVED just as I am, because HE made me. I'm PERFECTLY made in HIS eyes.
And, if I continue to choose to wear those rags and lies from the past it is so difficult for HIS Love to shine through me.... it's there, but it's covered by untruths from the past. All I have to do is believe HIM who says I am HIS BEAUTIFUL BRIDE.
And then HE said: See others as I see you! FORGIVEN AND PERFECTLY MADE.
We glued the vase back together again.....
But there's a crack... and a little piece missing.....and I love it even more now because of it's uniqueness.
There was more to learn.....
Later that week I had to look at Ray through those eyes of Love which the Lord had taught me about.....
And HE said: It's like your marriage....Like you were formed from my perfect form.... so is Ray. I have joined you together in perfect unity. My tools are sharp and sometimes it gets messy, but you are joined together! Sometimes Satan comes along and tries to break that perfect unity.... he tempts you to sin. It's how you choose to react that shines MY light and LOVE to others. And look, do you see that crack, do you see that hole? It's there, but you still love that vase just because you created it.... I love you (and him) like that too, trespasses and all.....BECAUSE I created you!
And then HE whispered for the last time:Forgive others because I forgave you.
MATTHEW 6:15 But if you do not forgive others their trespasses (their reckless and willful sins, leaving them and letting go, and giving up resentment) neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses.
