God Made You For His Purpose

Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker--an earthenware vessel among the vessels of the earth.  Will the clay say to the potter, "What are you doing?"  Or the thing you are making say, "He has no hands." --Isaiah 45:9

On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God?  The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this", will it?  Or does not the potter have a right over the clay to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? --Romans 9:20,21

Who doesn't want to be of greater use for God?  At the same time, we don't want to feel used, right?  Too often this dichotomy defines our relationship with our Creator. "O, Lord," we pray earnestly.  "Do with me whatever you want."  Then if someone asks if you would mind working in the nursery, you hurriedly look at your watch, or make and excuse, or say, "Can't you see I'm praying here?  Now don't bother me while I'm seeking God's will for my life!"

It's all a joke, really.  Years ago a cartoonist created a character he called Will B. Dunn.  The character was a preacher whose foibles mimicked many in the church.  In one series, the character volunteered to minister to the fabulously well-to-do.  How many of us would jump at the chance to be a missionary to St. Croix, Virgin Islands?  O, to live and work among the people of the Bahamas.  We'd be the first to set up a beach ministry, wouldn't we? But ask us to go inland, into the mud huts where most of those people live, and suddenly we question our calling.

When we look at the Scriptures cited above, we may wonder why so many references were made to clay and clay pottery.  We don't use clay pots that much any more.  We might be more familiar with the modern-day version--porcelain.  It is made from clay, but is fired at a very high temperature, producing a white, glass-like finish.  We see it every day, this modern-day version of pottery.

Porcelain Dolls
Some porecelain is used to make figurines, like the one shown above.  Porcelain dolls can be very pretty, with their painted on faces and hand-made clothes.  Many of us might wish that God had made us like that.  We would want to be handled with care, to be placed high on a shelf so we won't break.  People might collect us, and put us all together in a box that is only brought out for Christmas or other special occasions.

If God would only make us like that, wouldn't life be wonderful?  The problem is, if we were like those porcelain dolls, we would be of no use to a lost and dying world.  They might look at us with longing, like they would want to be like us.  More often, however, they would accuse us of being fake.  The world will not handle us with kid gloves; they would rather knock us off the shelf and see us shatter into a million pieces.  Then we would be quickly replaced with a less expensive, less well made model--something made of plastic or wood, or even cloth.

People like mass-produced garbage because it is cheap and abundant.  God wants to turn them into something special, hand-made in His image.  Our being in the world but not of the world is fine.  Being useless is not.

Porcelain Bowls and Vases
Some porcelain is shaped and fashioned into more useful things.  A vase is used to store water for use by a single flower, or by a bouquet.  When the flower fades, the vase may be put away until it is needed.  A porcelain bowl may be used to hold fruit.  When the fruit is gone, sometimes the bowl gathers other things, like keys or bills.  It might be used a little more than a vase, or it could be put away for future use.

This is the way many of us are used by God.  We are made for a specific purpose, and we need to wait until He has need of us.  While we are on the shelf, we long to be used by Him for His purpose in our lives.  Our job during the down times is to remain clean and not break apart.  Then when God exhibits His beauty in the world, we may be taken down and filled with water to exhibit His grandeur, to share His fragrance (2 Corinthians 2:15), and to keep the glory alive for as long as we can.

We may be asked to showcase the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).  Our job is not to overshadow the fruit, or to take people's attention away from the fruit.  We are simply there to make the fruit available to all who would take and eat of it.  We may wish that we had a greater role in the Kingdom of God, but if we humbly accept the role for which we were made, we can be of great use to Him.

Porcelain Sinks, and Bathtubs--and Commodes
Perhaps the most used porcelain items are those found in the most private places.  People need to wash and be clean.  They need to have living water flow over them and cleanse them.  They don't need their filth and stench to be left out for all to see; rather, they need for the uncleanness to be washed down the drain and forgotten.

If you are to be most useful to God, you will be among the people where they have the greatest need.  You will help them to wash away the cares of this world, to be fresh and new every morning.  Do not be discouraged if you seem to be constantly dumped on all the time.  God has given you a unique place in His kingdom.  It may not be a glamorous place, but your are uniquely qualified to channel the filth away and allow others to feel relieved, refreshed and revitalized.  You are a conduit for those "streams of mercy" that we sing about.

If you are put off by the comparison of some Christians becoming a spiritual bidet, think about Jesus.  In John 13, we see that in preparation of the Passover meal, Jesus stripped off his outer garment, took a basin full of water, with a towel wrapped around Him, and washed the disciples' feet.  Did you ever stop to think where their feet had been?  The streets of Jerusalem were filthy:  they had stepped in the paths of camels, donkeys, horses, oxen and sheep; can you imagine what kind of waste flowed in the streets of that day?  Yet Jesus humbled Himself, and washed their feet with water.  How much more should we be available to take people as they are, and to wash them off spiritually.

If you have that gift, do not feel demeaned or demoralized.  Every house needs a place where people can wash up, or get rid of waste.  They need a place to stand naked before God without being judged or criticized.  Even the house of God needs a washroom.  Always be available to them, and always have a fresh flowing of clean water from God (Ephesians 5:26).  If the water does not flow, then put up an "out of order" sign and get connected to the Source.  Otherwise, you could be as useless as a porcelain doll.