A Perfect Piece of Pottery

Hardships, struggles, life problems. We all have them. Whether we admit it or not. In America or in Africa, life isn't always smooth sailing and things hurt us more than we would like to ever talk about. We want our lives to portray perfectness. We want Jesus to be the potter and us the clay and to portray a perfect piece of pottery that everyone would love and see value in. However, the fact is that we aren't perfect and our lives have created cracks and holes in our perfect pottery. Some by our own sin and some by uncontrollable circumstances, regardless they are there. Now, the choice is ours... Do we allow the light of Christ to shine though our cracks and holes or do we continue to cover them up by worldly standards and dim the light of Christ. 

I had this very choice while in Africa, more specifically Village M. God had placed a burden to share my testimony, completely transparent, to the people there. I ignored it for weeks, but the time finally came where a choice had to be made. I surrendered to God and allowed Him to shine. Allowed Him to take my past struggles and hurt and lay them out, to show His grace, mercy, love, and joy. I doubt if I am good enough to be serving God, to be sharing his good news, but it was through this that I was able to see how He can use hurt, broken people to bring Him glory. Our past doesn't have to define us but it  is a part of us and we have to let God use it instead of letting it hurt us. God is the only one that can take something awful and make it beautiful. My prayer is for the people at Village M to let God use them no matter what hardships they have faced. Their story could be the one that reveals God to someone else.

- Katie