The Potters Clay

Who are you? What are you? These are two very hard questions to answer about myself. Not one I truly know how to put into words? Can you? Deacon Hyde says he realized he was the King of Brokenness, which really made me think long and hard about my own brokenness. How do we express brokenness? Today I heard the definition of Sin is the willful abuse of human freedom. The willful abuse of human freedom, what is it? Glad you asked; it is the willful act of exercising our will rather than doing God's.

When I reflect and examine my conscience on who is the person looking back at me in the mirror? I ponder in my heart, am I the loving, forgiving, kind, humble, meek and joyful person I think that I am? Or is that the person dissimulated in the disguise of the person I think that I am? There are times in my life when I am at my weakest that I feel unfaithful to the Lord's calling me to emulate Jesus. For example, when I am feeling tired and frustrated I am not the most kind person I can be. At other times when I am facing a crisis in my personal life I sometimes am unforgiving and lack prudence in my speech because all I want to do is simply flee so as not to have to deal with the situation that needs addressing. When I feel the anxieties of the world closing in on me by it's relentless persecution of my exposed weaknesses, I am not always very kind or joyful towards my neighbors. These are the crosses that I bear and the ones that when recognized lead me to the waters of renewal in the Lord's love and forgiveness. So, I can say without reserve that I am the Queen of my brokenness. I am weak until I decide to pick up my cross with both hands. When I surrender myself completely to God's will then and only then do I find healing for my broken spirit.

I am a broken clay pot who is weak with stumbling and failings; yet I know without a doubt because of the words God has spoken in Jeremiah 18:1-8, he is constantly reminding me to rise up, pick up the Word of God and come to him. Come to him all you, who are weak and I will give you rest. The Lord Jesus Christ is working day and night at the potters wheel, even in the times I am turning out badly, yet he tries again, shaping me out of my weaknesses again and again shaping and molding me into another me that pleases Him. I am sure most often he is disappointed. How His wounds must ooze, sometimes even flow with blood and water, yet, I know without reserve that he is there at the wheel ready to forgive me of my sins and renew my spirit through his merciful absolution in the sacrament of reconciliation. So the Who I am and what I am is who I am in Christ. His love and forgiveness not only for myself, but, of others changes me into who I want to be. I will know Jesus in the Gospel and I will know myself in the sacrament of reconciliation. For one spin of the wheel at a time will I become who God calls me to be, a disciple.

So, I ask you, who are you and what are you? Is this easy for you to answer? I invite you to share your thoughts and hope that you will accept. May God bless you this Lent and may you find him in the Who you are and the What you are and may you be transformed into the Who and What he calls you to be.