One of the things I love to do with my children, by myself, or with a friend, well I just really loved doing is painting pottery.  One thing I have learned through my experience with pottery is that the color you see that you paint prior to the firing of the pottery is not the true hue or color shade of the paint. Oftentimes the darkest hues actually look lighter as a paint than much softer hues. It is not till you put the piece in the fire, that you see the real color of the paint shining through. The fire brings out the true color tones.

I was reminded of this truth when I looked at a lovely oil warmer with bright blue skies, beautiful orange and yellow and red butterflies and blue grass. Yes, you heard me right, blue grass. Imagine my disappointment, when I saw the pottery that I spent hours painting, expecting green grass, but it looked very different than I had envisioned. I had picked up the wrong bottle of paint apparently, but I couldn’t tell until the pottery was fired.  

Looking at it now, I was struck with the thought that people are a lot like that painted piece of pottery. You don’t truly see their hue, their true colors, till they are put in the fire. It burns away, not just that, but the pressure takes away all the fake, all the cover, and it leaves them bare as they truly are. Exposed. This is why I was told to make sure to see a potential mate in a stressful situation.  For example, a flat tire experience or broken-down car. Then you can see a true glimpse into who they really are, when they’re put under stress. 

Even as I find myself under more and more pressure in life, I find color sprigging through that I did not see before in myself. Unlike with that piece of pottery that I couldn’t do anything about or change once it was fired, we are different than pottery. You see our Potter can remake us new, he can remold our broken parts, he can change our hues and cover us with his righteousness.  Those colors that we did not expect to see, we can surrender to him and his process of renewal. 

Yes, life will be like a fire, a trial, a test whatever you want to call it. During those times what we truly are in the fires of life will be exposed. Praise God that we’re not saved on our own merit. No, we’re saved by grace and covered by his righteousness. Isn’t it amazing to be reminded that when we’re going through those times and we’re seeing those colors that we didn’t anticipate or that aren’t very attractive/positive, we have a potter who can add a bit of himself to us and make the tone something new and lovely. He is a potter who, as we submit ourselves to him and surrender all of ourselves to him, even the parts we wish weren’t there, the colors we wish we did not see, he can work in us and continue to make us new.

Thank God that he is working in us, making us new! But be warned that you should be ready for more challenges and testing. There’ll be another fire, and God will probably have to do more work on us later. I’m so glad he doesn’t give up and that he loves us even with our blue grass and all the blue grass in our life to come.

Scriptures: Isaiah 64:8, Ephesians 2:10, 2 Cor. 4:7