Today I have a treat for you. I met Jena probably almost 20 years ago. She would have been pretty close to a newly wed. She probably doesn't remember me, but she is pretty unforgettable. I have always been amazed by her spunk, personality, energy and smarts. In the world of blogging, her blog is the first blog I ever read regularly. I hope you enjoy her post today. Go show her some love over on her very practical and "transparent" blog.
Hello Barefoot Hippie Fans,
I'm one of Bernadette's friends/ blogging buddies and just thought I'd help out by giving you a taste of my writing while the Hippies are traveling.
My regular blog is: Organized Everyday, which I've been writing since 2006. I think I am nearly at 1,000 posts, which should be a crime. I write some crazy things and weird stories, and I write some serious things. Because life is crazy and serious all at the same time. I will frequently talk about my hedgehog hairdos and then try to wax eloquently on something more important like finding a random refrigerator. And I probably should tell you that I've been married to the same wonderful guy for 21 years, and yes, all five children are ours. Kind of a strange question that people randomly ask, even if your kids could be clones of each other. I would love to be thinner, but I love to eat and cook. I would love to be more organized, but I love people and new projects. I would love to stay that I am a stay at home mom, and I am except when there's something to do outside the home. I would love to say that I have it all together, but that would be a lie from the get--go. So, here is what is on my heart for today. Hope you enjoy the post!
I was struck by the wording of this passage in II Corinthians. "We have this treasure in jars of clay"..
At first, I was really enamored with the concept of jars of clay. I love clay. A few years back, I used to take on a new hobby every two years. Well, one year it was wheel pottery. I loved it. I would hire a babysitter, go to the pottery place and sit there for an hour or so and try to make something out of that clay. If I was lucky, I would get a bowl-ish looking thing. Maybe it would be flatter or rounder or taller, but it usually was some sort of jar.
But sooner or later, I would discover that my jar was not perfect. It had a bubble in the clay or it had a thickness on one side or not on the other. It was horribly hard work--this centering process. "Throwing" was the term employed for such pottery making because the really good people could throw it on the wheel, while the wheel was moving and still get a "jar" with seemingly effortless ease.
But my jars of clay were.. less than perfect. But that is, perhaps, the exact imagery needed for this. The jars of clay are us. Even the most perfect potter is still working with an earthen substance--clay. The clay can be finer or rougher, redder or white-ish, but it is still clay.
Clay is a temporary substance. If you are lucky, a vessel will last a few years--maybe even a lifetime--but not usually. But while they do have their existence, they have a purpose.
That purpose is to hold something. They hold everything from food and drink to flowers and money. Anything that needs to be contained can be contained in a clay vessel.
So, just like primitive clay dishes that hold things, we also are holding things both physically and spiritually. And we, who know the Lord Jesus, are holding a precious treasure.
It's a treasure way too valuable to be tossed into a rough pot, made with clay. And yet, here it is. And we have it. What is this treasure?
I believe it is that precious treasure of knowing Christ-- the Gospel, the good news of salvation. It is delicately woven, in striations of our earthen being. It is the foundation that holds this jar together, and yet.. is capable of housing the very treasure itself.
This.. this is quite the mystery.
How can I neglect this very treasure? It is all. I. need.
I was once an empty vessel, and now I live to carry a treasure.
written by: Jena, author of blog: organizedeveryday
and co-author of a Christian blog: our faithful God.
Hello Barefoot Hippie Fans,
My regular blog is: Organized Everyday, which I've been writing since 2006. I think I am nearly at 1,000 posts, which should be a crime. I write some crazy things and weird stories, and I write some serious things. Because life is crazy and serious all at the same time. I will frequently talk about my hedgehog hairdos and then try to wax eloquently on something more important like finding a random refrigerator. And I probably should tell you that I've been married to the same wonderful guy for 21 years, and yes, all five children are ours. Kind of a strange question that people randomly ask, even if your kids could be clones of each other. I would love to be thinner, but I love to eat and cook. I would love to be more organized, but I love people and new projects. I would love to stay that I am a stay at home mom, and I am except when there's something to do outside the home. I would love to say that I have it all together, but that would be a lie from the get--go. So, here is what is on my heart for today. Hope you enjoy the post!
I was struck by the wording of this passage in II Corinthians. "We have this treasure in jars of clay"..
At first, I was really enamored with the concept of jars of clay. I love clay. A few years back, I used to take on a new hobby every two years. Well, one year it was wheel pottery. I loved it. I would hire a babysitter, go to the pottery place and sit there for an hour or so and try to make something out of that clay. If I was lucky, I would get a bowl-ish looking thing. Maybe it would be flatter or rounder or taller, but it usually was some sort of jar.
But sooner or later, I would discover that my jar was not perfect. It had a bubble in the clay or it had a thickness on one side or not on the other. It was horribly hard work--this centering process. "Throwing" was the term employed for such pottery making because the really good people could throw it on the wheel, while the wheel was moving and still get a "jar" with seemingly effortless ease.
But my jars of clay were.. less than perfect. But that is, perhaps, the exact imagery needed for this. The jars of clay are us. Even the most perfect potter is still working with an earthen substance--clay. The clay can be finer or rougher, redder or white-ish, but it is still clay.
Clay is a temporary substance. If you are lucky, a vessel will last a few years--maybe even a lifetime--but not usually. But while they do have their existence, they have a purpose.
That purpose is to hold something. They hold everything from food and drink to flowers and money. Anything that needs to be contained can be contained in a clay vessel.
So, just like primitive clay dishes that hold things, we also are holding things both physically and spiritually. And we, who know the Lord Jesus, are holding a precious treasure.
It's a treasure way too valuable to be tossed into a rough pot, made with clay. And yet, here it is. And we have it. What is this treasure?
I believe it is that precious treasure of knowing Christ-- the Gospel, the good news of salvation. It is delicately woven, in striations of our earthen being. It is the foundation that holds this jar together, and yet.. is capable of housing the very treasure itself.
This.. this is quite the mystery.
How can I neglect this very treasure? It is all. I. need.
I was once an empty vessel, and now I live to carry a treasure.
written by: Jena, author of blog: organizedeveryday
and co-author of a Christian blog: our faithful God.
