Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Encouraging Word August 19 2013


Yesterday I was thinking about how all of us are so very different in the way we approach the Lord.  Some of us are very holy and spiritual, some of us hide our holiness a little more, in other words, have trouble sitting still or blurting things we should not at bad times.

What I mean is we are all different vessels that carry the Holy Spirit and Jesus around with us.  Some of us are like beautiful wooden walnut bowls, polished to a sheen, carefully crafted with no bumps, able to carry food or most anything else. Beautiful walnut bowls must be kept carefully clean, using little soap so you don’t ruin the finish, never be put in a dishwasher and hand dried with a soft towel and treated carefully so you don’t drop them and splinter into a million pieces.

Some of us are like melmac  or corelle bowls,  durable, dishwasher safe and can withstand high heat, but aren’t always very pretty to look at or present at the table, yet always durable, can carry anything and let it sit for days inside before washing and usually won’t break if dropped.

I know this sounds silly, but if you look at who you are as a faith filled Christian, do you see yourself as the walnut bowl or the corelle? Both are excellent vessels to carry the Lord in. I don’t think one is better than the other. I personally love walnut bowls because they show such beautiful craftsmanship, but I am slightly afraid to own one since I am so very hard on my dishes and so just have a lot of corelle.  My own faith vessel is corelle too, I am not always smooth, or polished to a sheen. I can hold just about anything and love to serve the Lord, but I don’t know if people would always say I seem “holy.”

Does it matter which vessel we are? I’m not sure. I feel like I should be trying to work myself towards being a walnut bowl, yet that doesn’t seem like who God made me to be. He made me tough, able to withstand high temps and able to get dirty and clean up in the wash without any side effects. I love physical labor and often get very dirty doing a job.  I understand “street smarts” and like to minister to people who need reminding that they are God’s creation and that God loves them too.  Yet I also love helping distribute Holy Communion and the Precious Blood, something we seem to think only “holy” walnut bowls should do!

But I feel called to serve the Lord in walnut bowls ways some days too and I think that’s okay.  We still have to be who God called us to be and if He calls us knowing we are only corelle and not walnut wood, maybe that means He needs corelle this day!

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