In The Potter's Hands

Each of us volunteers have been asked before we leave for mission to write a little article for the VOICA newsletter. I spent some time last night reflecting on our experience in Rome and this is the rough draft of my article that will go in the newsletter that will be spread around Italy and the world. I'll check if Brendan will let me put his up too : )

In The Potter's Hands

In Jeremiah 18:1-6, God tells the prophet Jeremiah to go down to the Potter’s house where God will reveal His next message. So Jeremiah visits the potter and sees him delicately forming a pot. At one point, the clay is not working well and not transforming into the right shape. So the potter reworks the clay into a more suitable shape for the pot.

To me, our time in formation has been a lot like a trip to the Potter’s house. We have come to Rome to get ready for mission. We hope to learn things that will enable us to serve better. And to get this wisdom we know that we don’t have to go to the “big people” of this world or to the most esteemed universities. Instead we go with Jeremiah to the humble, dirty workspace of a simple working man. We go with Jesus to the homes and neighborhoods of the poor, the sick, and the outcasts of society.

During formation this has taken the form of serving weekly at CARITAS – an amazing Catholic organization whose mission is to serve Jesus Christ in the poor. Also, we are preparing to serve the poorest of the poor in our missions abroad in a real and intimate way. But we also find God’s wisdom in our daily living – in the cooking, cleaning, and learning how to live in community. It has been a beautiful experience and we have learned a lot from the process!

Another issue that comes up in pottery is the shape that the potter gives the clay so that it is able to function well, to do something special. To make this perfect shape sometimes the clay is just left circling, while during other crucial times the Potter’s fingers dig deep into the clay to make beautiful curves and designs.

During formation there have been many times when I have felt the fingers of the Potter working hard on me. It happened especially when I was adapting to cultural differences and missing my beloved family. I could feel my rough edges poking out and then being sanded down by the skilled fingers of the Potter.

The shape that we pots ultimately hope to take on should be that of Christ. We’re getting there with a lot of help and grace, but it’s a slow process. In the meantime I have decided I would like to be a water pitcher with a little spout.

When I am an empty water pitcher I will be able to be filled with the Water of Life. And when I am filled, the Water will overflow out of me so other people can have access to its life-giving qualities. That is my goal at the moment.

Looking back over the past two months I can see the formation that has been happening. Maybe not big, radical changes, but lots of little ones that together are significant. The time of formation has been a wonderful gift spiritually and I feel much better prepared to go to mission with Jesus closely by my side.

In just two weeks, my husband, Brendan, and I leave to begin our service with the Canossian Sisters in Dili, East Timor. The challenge will be keeping that closeness to Jesus when things get more difficult and less comfortable. We will have to try to keep our clay malleable, and not let time and stress harden it, so Jesus will be able to continually help us change and grow to be more like Him.

Please pray for Brendan and I, and all the volunteers, who are leaving soon for longterm mission. Pray that we would be soft clay in the Potter’s hands and that He would shape us into something useful and beautiful for Himself.

So hopefully that made some sense. We covered this scripture passage during the first week of formation and it really struck me with all the parallels to the spiritual life (which is what God intended I'm sure : ) Let me know if you can think of any other parallels. K, hope all is well at home!

God bless,

Rachel and Brendan