I Am Not ... Yet, I AM By Cortney Donelson

Exodus 31:1-3 (NIV)

Then the Lord said to Moses, ”See, I have chosen Bezalelson of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills”

I am not a writer.

In fact, if you ran into my high school English teachers and shared with them that I was writing devotionals and actually publicizing them, they would all faint – after first recovering from a good, long laugh.  

Yet here I am, typing out the words that seem to spill out of my head on a daily basis. They are words that I will sit with, pray over, and continually review and revise – all with an internal assurance that God has provided them to me for the purpose of sharing them. A lot of prayer goes into my devotionals. That is the only way I can write them. Remember, I am not a writer.

God called me to write many years ago. He put the desire deep into my heart where I kept it dormant, fearful that I didn’t have the skills to actually pull it off. I have started countless books over the years – most of them never made it past the initial outline or first chapter. A year ago, I did make it through a good part of one of book when I sensed the Lord telling me to think “smaller.” Smaller? Huh?

Smaller turned out to be shorter. Once I started my devotional journey, writing became easy and fun. It is inspiring for me. It fills that deep desire in my heart to do something for God. Writing is not something I could ever do apart from God. God filled me with this gift, and then unleashed it in His perfect timing.

Moses was not a public speaker, yet he led thousands.

Noah was not an architect or an engineer, yet he built a massive boat that withstood flooding rains.

Abraham and Sarah were not young, yet they became parents.

David was not fierce or strong, yet he conquered a giant warrior.

I am not a writer, yet I blog and publish my devotionals on a weekly basis to encourage others.

Exodus 31:1-3 says, Then the Lord said to Moses, ”See, I have chosen Bezalelson of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills.”

God handpicks us. He handpicked Bezalelson. He handpicked me. 

Each of us has been given a gift, a skill, and a desire. These are planted in our hearts by God. If we choose to grow them and ignore the fear or the whispers that we are not, then God will use those skills. God, the Great I AM, will use us. He will give us His power to do what we cannot do alone.

God has handpicked you too. What gift are you hiding in your heart? Are you harboring the skills to be a speaker, a teacher, a worshiper, a prayer warrior, or maybe a mentor for God’s Kingdom? Maybe you are one of God’s writers, but – as I used to do – you are writing in secret.

As we close out this year, it may be a good time to think about this. What are you not?

Prayer – God, thank You for the skills and desires You plant in our hearts. My prayer is that no gift goes unopened but that we allow You to be the I AM we are not. Remind us that You will strengthen us through Christ who lives within us. We love You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

© 2012 As A Clay Jar. All rights reserved.

Being Rooted - Part 2 By Cortney Donelson

I had a plan for “Deeply Rooted – Part 2.” However, after December 14’s school tragedy, it seemed important to exchange my plan and follow God’s promptings. This series is about fear, worry, and panic. The horrific events in Connecticut remind us that sometimes our worst fears do come to fruition – last Friday they did for 27 families. This week, I had difficulty deciding how to write something that would honor God, my “Deeply Rooted” devotional, and the hearts in pain from this outrageous act. How could I encourage us to run from fear when every parent’s worst nightmare had just become a reality? As I mourned and prayed for the families, for the first responders who witnessed the aftermath and communicated the news, and for our nation, this is what I sensed God asking me to share …

Romans 8:26-28, The Message
“Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.”

When we are left with no words, as I was this past weekend, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. He will pray for us. How awesome and comforting is that? When I am left with nothing to say (or write) because my sorrow or pain is so great, and all I can do is sob, the Holy Spirit knows just what I need and asks on my behalf … then God answers. So with that in mind, here is my revised “Deeply Rooted – Part 2” devotional.

Ephesians 3:17-18 (NIV)
“… And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ”

In my previous devotional, I wrote about three important ideas I believe God wants us to remember when fear and worry creep into our minds. The first is to turn our backs on fear and run to God’s Word. When we are rooted in God’s promises and in His unfailing love, the enemy is not able to run rampant in our minds with lies that can cause us to worry or panic. The second significant idea was that perhaps we are not capable of feeling two opposing emotions at the exact same time. If we trade worry for hope, fear for thanksgiving, and panic for praise, we can sometimes experience an immediate change in our reality. Thirdly, I suggested we embrace God’s trustworthiness through a growing faith that can only come from feeding ourselves a healthy dose of the God who never leaves our side. This can be done through reading Scripture, prayer, worship, or fellowship with others.

We tend to see and believe information as “good” if it matches our belief systems. We also pay more attention to information that conforms to our beliefs. The opposite is also true. Information is “bad” if it does not conform to our belief system. For example, when I was a little girl on vacation with my family, a spider bit my arm. The bite caused my whole arm to swell, itch, and hurt. It was excruciating! The symptoms bought me a trip to the emergency room. Since then, my belief is that spiders are bad. If a television documentary on Animal Planet tried to convince me that most spiders are harmless and essential to the ecosystem, I would start twitching and turn the channel. After all, I can’t even look at a picture of a spider without getting the willies! However, the truth is that spiders are (probably) critical to the environment and stability of our ecosystem. The truth is that most spiders are harmless to humans. My belief system is based on one incident that produced in me a fear of spiders. That fear ended my rational thinking regarding spiders. These beliefs of mine are not rooted in truth precisely because I allowed that fear to alter my convictions about spiders.

If we allow the school tragedy in Connecticut (or any other crisis or disaster) to change our belief system about God’s goodness or allow fear (for our own children in this case) to affect our lives or change our perspective about God’s love or trustworthiness, we have made the same mistake I did with spiders. So, what are our beliefs? What is the truth?

Let's run to His Word. Here are my beliefs - I pray they continue to stay rooted in scripture … in the TRUTH.

1. There is evil on earth. Satan is real and present. The enemy’s goal is to block us from a relationship with God and from everlasting life. “And the LORD said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ Satan answered the LORD, ‘From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” (Job 2:2 NIV) and “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy …” (John 10:10 NIV)

Thankfully,

2. For those who love God, He will work out everything perfectly … even if we can’t understand the goodness until we reach our eternal home. “… The LORD will do what is good in his sight.” (2 Samuel 10:12 NIV) and “… we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NIV)

3. God IS love, and God cares about what we fear. He cares that we have worries. He cares about our tragedies. He cares about us more than we can ever fathom. He also won’t trade our free will or our ability to choose a relationship with Him in exchange for preventing evil on Earth. After all, this is not our home and His love is greater than any evil act or the fear that it illicits. “… When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day – our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life – fear of death, fear of judgment – is one not yet fully formed in love.” (1 John 4:17-18, The Message)

4. God IS just, so I don’t have to worry about that either. “GOD’s enemies will be blasted out of the sky, crashed in a heap and burned. GOD will set things right all over the earth, he’ll give strength to his king, he’ll set his anointed on top of the world!” (1 Samuel 2:6-10, The Message)

I make a daily choice to set my mind on God through Christ. I strive to stay ROOTed in Him. That is what gives me strength, especially in times of sorrow or pain such as the kind we have all experienced this week. It also alleviates every ounce of fear and worry that may start to creep in. No wildfires allowed! Will you do the same?

Remember: (Run to His Word, Offer Thanks, Offer Praise, Trust Him)

Prayer – God, I pray for the families and friends of the victims of the school tragedy in Connecticut. I pray they feel Your love and comfort in the midst of their pain. I hope they run to You and not rage against You in their anguish. Thank You for Your promises – may they help us stay grounded in Your truth and turn our backs on fear. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

© 2012 As A Clay Jar. All rights reserved.

Being Rooted - Part 1 By Cortney Donelson

I hope this photograph grabs your attention. 

A friend of mine once commented to me that she loves devotionals that not only provide encouragement, but also have a lesson or hard truth embedded in them. She likes to be challenged and loved both at the same time. I pray this is one of those devotionals.

Ephesians 3:17-18 (NIV)
“… And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ”

Everyone worries or has anxiety from time to time. God designed us with all our feelings attached, even the “negative” ones. They protect us – or at least act as indicators of our current reality. We worry our toddler will get too close to the stove and burn herself. We worry when we leave our kids with a babysitter for the first time. Anxiety accompanies our excitement as we learn to drive a car or move away from home for good. These types of feelings usually keep us safe to some extent. They act as cautionary flags to be on the lookout that something might be wrong.

Sometimes, though, our worry and anxiety get the best of us. You can bet Satan enjoys using these emotions against us. When we are anxious, we tend to lose focus on what is most important – God. For many, these feelings that God designed in order to alert us become emotions that are unhealthy and destructive. It seems to me there is an epidemic of anxiety in our society. I hear about it all too often in my circle of mothers. I believe too many of us are allowing our worries to control our lives.

As a mother, I tend to worry about my kids. Another big-ticket anxiety item within my social circle is health. When we constantly worry about things for which we have no control, that worry evolves into fear, and anxiety morphs into panic. Once fear’s grip takes hold, it is difficult to regain your freedom. Instead, if we choose to become rooted in God’s promises, rooted in His word, rooted in His love, then freedom is ours for the taking.

There are three things I believe God wants us to consider when it comes to fear and anxiety. The first is that God tells us to turn our backs on fear. “Fear not” is the most frequent directive God gives us in the Bible. In fact, according to Wikipedia, there are over 100 “fear not” statements in the Bible. If you include “do not be afraid” or similar language, the number grows to 366, depending on the translation. God and Satan continue their epic battle for our hearts and minds. Fear is the enemy’s weapon. Fear in the hands of Satan is like a spark in a dry forest. The damage can spread like wildfire, burning every hope, every positive thought, and every ounce of strength we can muster.

The second message I have learned about fear is that when you are in a place where uncontrollable anxiety and worry rule, you do not have the capacity to be thankful. In fact, it is downright impossible! Ann Voskamp, author of “One Thousand Gifts,” describes this beautifully:

            “You can’t positive-think your way out of negative feelings. About your brother,

            about me, about people. Feelings work faster than thoughts; blood runs faster

            than synapses … The only way to fight a feeling is with a feeling … I move closer,

            hoping my words might revive. Feel thanks and    it’s absolutely impossible to feel

            angry. We can only experience one emotion at a time. And we get to choose –

            which emotion do we want to feel?”

The author, as the main character, is teaching her son how to replace anger with thanksgiving. However, I believe the principle applies to every feeling. What if we replaced worry with thanksgiving? What if we chose to feel faithful rather than fearful? What if we could stop anxiety in its tracks by giving praise and gratitude? When anxiety over a medical test result creeps in, we can choose to give thanks to God for advanced medicine, early detection, or even for the promise of eternity. When worry erupts into fear as finances disappear, we can give thanks to God for the food on our table or the friends and family who step in to help. Your fear may just start to dissipate. Why? You have put God first.

The third action that I believe God asks us to do is embrace His trustworthiness. And, therein lies the ultimate definition of faith. If you believe God’s promises, then fear has no place. After all, God promises to never leave us. In Romans 8:31, the promise continues, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Our God has already claimed victory over death through His Son, Jesus. 

So, when anxiety’s blazing fingers start to wrap around our minds and threaten to take over, let’s remember this acronym: ROOT (Run to His Word, Offer Thanks, Offer Praise, Trust Him).

Next time, we will dig deeper into how being rooted in God’s Word and His love can break the “misinterpretation cycle” of worry and anxiety – finally setting us free!

Prayer – God, we want to be ROOTed in You. We thank You for Your promises. We thank You for the victory that we have through Jesus. We hope and pray we can regain our freedom by choosing to focus on the One who loves us more than anything. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!

© 2012 As A Clay Jar. All rights reserved.

When God is a Spectator, Not a Lifeguard By Cortney Donelson

Revelation 2:2 (NIV)

“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance…”

I am not a crier – ask anyone who knows me. So when my husband saw me standing on the side of the pool with tears spilling down my face, he came right over and let me fold myself into his arms.

Our 6-year-old son was swimming out in the middle lane of the Olympic-size pool. He was out there alone, not because we left him in the pool after a family swim or because it was closing time and we couldn’t reel him in. There were hundreds of people around, but he was all alone.

Our son was the youngest participant in his age group in a local triathlon for kids. He had wanted to register, and my husband, an avid triathlete himself, puffed out his daddy chest and encouraged him to go for it. My son didn’t quite know how to swim yet, and he had just learned how to ride his bike without training wheels. Yet, he is an adventurer … and, he wants to be like his dad.

We geared him up with a life jacket and spent a couple weeks helping him to practice riding his bike. He and my husband would also go out and run sprints up and down the street. It was all so much fun. However, my son was not much into “practicing.” He said “I’ll be fine,” so we let him be.

When the day of the race came, we picked up his race packet and swim cap. His legs were painted with his race number. He was so excited! However, one of the officials informed us that our son would be racing with the “7-9” age bracket because his birthday fell just after the cutoff date. To make matters worse, we were told that the swim would be twice as long for this age group. I felt a twinge of panic. We tried to negotiate, but the official was not sympathetic.

As my son lined up with the other kids, he was the only one in a life jacket. He was several inches shorter than the other boys, who were all in race swim suits and goggles. My son looked scared. My heart broke! The kids all had to swim two lengths of the pool, down and back. As the children dove into the pool to begin the race, my son slipped in the side and started on his journey … a swim that would take him twice as long as the other kids to complete. As the other boys exited the pool to begin their bike, my son made the turn to swim the return length and was the only one left in the pool.

My husband and I encouraged him from the other side of the pool where we were permitted to watch. We yelled his name and cheered him on … and my tears flowed. For the first time as a mother, I couldn’t help him. I couldn’t jump in and do something for him. I was forced to watch him struggle. It was so hard! I felt completely helpless and remember thinking that if I could jump in and push him along, I would do it in a heartbeat.

But, get this … I also knew that jumping in and rescuing him would hurt him too. If I had helped him and appeased my own hurting heart in the short term, I would be stealing a moment from him that was ultimately making him stronger in the long run. I knew that as difficult as it was to stand on the side of that pool and watch, it was good for him. My son was learning so many valuable lessons: strength of will, independence, fortitude, perseverance – to name a few. I prayed he was not wondering why I wasn’t in that pool helping him.

Guess what? I bet we can all relate. Think of a time when you were struggling. Did you wonder where God was? Did you think He had left you all alone? Revelation 2:2 (NIV) promises, “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance…” Perhaps God was sitting on the side of your pool cheering you on with His own tears flowing, all the while knowing that if He jumped in to rescue you, He would be robbing you of something special. Perhaps your struggle, your heartbreak, your mess caused Him great pain, yet He knew it was good for you in the long run. God sees everything. God knows your hard work. At times, He may be helping you build your perseverance by standing off to the side. As emotional and distraught as this momma felt on the spectator-only side of that race, God feels that same emotion – but tenfold – for you, His beloved child. 

When times come where God seems distant, remember this: Maybe God is acting as a spectator in some of your races, not because He has left or doesn’t care about you. Rather, He may be forgoing the role of lifeguard in order to build your perseverance and strength for the long road ahead.

Prayer – God, we thank You for Your wisdom and love. For, it is this wisdom and love that teaches us so many valuable lessons about faith and perseverance, building us up to be made perfect one day in eternity. Remind us that You are always with us, through times of struggle and times of joy, cheering us on the entire race. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!

© 2012 As A Clay Jar. All rights reserved.

The Story of the Hamster Wheel: How "Why Me?" Became "What Now?" By Cortney Donelson

Exodus 9:16 (NIV)
“But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”

I stood in the pet store and watched the hamster spinning his rickety wheel. “That’s us,” I thought out loud. Our lives had become one giant hamster wheel where every day we woke up, partook in the same routine tasks packaged as the “American Dream,” and then went to bed feeling exhausted yet unfulfilled. My husband and I watched the hamster for a few more minutes. “Using all that energy and going nowhere,” my husband observed. We went home feeling depressed.

The depressed mood came and went for several years. We knew life was more than the American Dream. It’s more than jobs, grocery stores, car repairs, sick kids, karate, church, birthday parties, bills, friends, or even success. We knew God created us for a very specific purpose, and we were not living it yet. We just didn’t know how to find that specific purpose!

Explaining this feeling to others was difficult. We had been small group leaders and volunteered in a myriad of opportunities inside and outside the church. Some people thought that was “enough” … but God wasn’t done with us yet.

Our marriage and spirits had already survived more than three years of infertility struggles. Due to those struggles, our God-ordained path had taken us to Russia and then to China for the adoption of our children. In many cases, people thought that was “enough” … but God wasn’t done with us yet.

My husband and I read the book “Radical” by David Platt. One of many thought-provoking quotes from his book is "…have we replaced what is radical about our faith with what is comfortable? Are we settling for Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves?" We wondered what we might abandon to be radical about discovering God’s purpose for us.

Over the next few months, we continued to sense that God was preparing us for something big. I felt as if I was ready for anything – anything that would help us define our purpose. Be careful what you pray for! One day it materialized. Terrible news rocked our world. Exodus 9:16 says, “But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” It’s a powerfully intimidating verse if you are willing to follow it to the end of God’s story and not just to the limited expectations of how you want your story to read. We were about to abandon the hamster wheel.

God had been relentlessly preparing our hearts so that when the time came, we would not fall down but be raised up for the purpose He designed for us. Queen Esther knew a little something about being raised up to fulfill a God-given destiny. In Esther 4:14, as she is learning about the plans to murder all the Jews, it reads, “... And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”  When our world fell apart, most people would have run for the hills – we fell to our knees. From our “royal” position, we asked, “What now, God?” instead of asking, “Why me, God?”

See, the “Why us?” question had been answered throughout all the years following the visit to that pet store. We abandoned the “Why us?” because the answer is it’s ALL of us. All of us will go through a crisis. All of us will make choices about how we respond to those crises. All of us have weaknesses that are made perfect through Christ who strengthens us. All of us have a destiny. So, when the time came for our specific destiny to be revealed, the better question became, “What now, God? What do we do now? Show us how You will make this beautiful. Help us understand what we can do to use this for your story for us – a story that will glorify You and impact many if we choose to say yes.”

Do you sometimes feel like you are running on that hamster wheel? Do you get to the end of a day and ask, “What is the point?” Do you sense a bigger purpose for your life? My guess is that it’s a common feeling … to believe God has a plan for you that is more significant than any “American Dream.” When tough times come, perhaps you will choose to change your question. Rather than asking God, “Why me?,” try asking Him, “What now?” You might just get an answer that will bump you off that rickety wheel and change your life forever!


Prayer – God, thank You for the promise of eternity. Despite challenges and dark valleys in this life, we know we can lean on You and ask the question, “What now?” – perhaps catching a glimpse of Your purpose for our lives here on earth. Remind us that Your plans take us past this world and into Your Kingdom where our ultimate destiny will finally be realized. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

© 2012 As A Clay Jar. All rights reserved.

Having Healing Hands By Cortney Donelson

Acts 3: 6-7 (NIV)
“Then Peter said, ‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’ Taking him (a disabled beggar) by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong.”

Occasionally, I am a doubting Thomas. I could be more like Peter, as described in this scripture. Working in healthcare, I often think about putting my hands on my patients and healing them instantly. Wow! That would certainly increase my pay grade! However, I never believed this was realistic.

The Bible tells me something different. Just as Peter (fully human) did in Acts 3: 6-7, we can call on Jesus and pray for healing for any pain, hurt, or disability – be it physical or emotional – and know that healing can occur. Notice the wording of the verse: “ ... but what I have I give you.” Peter understood what he had as a faithful follower of Christ. As Believers, God's awesome power is housed within us. Every ounce of His miraculous strength resides in our bodies. That is too cool! If aligned with God’s will and plan, we are one faithful prayer away from unleashing this power and witnessing miraculous healing. Peter tells the crowd in later verses in the book of Acts, “By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.”

I am a living testimony to this miracle. My husband and I prayerfully chose to adopt a little girl from China who had been diagnosed with a serious brain condition. In a nutshell, the front portion (lobe) of her brain was small compared to the other areas of her brain. The frontal lobe is responsible for movement, personality, higher learning skills, knowing right from wrong, having impulse control – among many other things. Neurosurgeons here in the United States could not tell us exactly what her abilities, personality, or behaviors would be in the long or short term. Chinese documents told us she was behind others her age developmentally. My husband and I were understandably scared; however, we did not allow that fear to keep us from hearing and obeying God’s call on our hearts to bring this precious child into our home as our own beloved daughter.

While we waited to travel, I prayed every day for complete healing for my daughter. I prayed her frontal lobe would develop and that there would be no signs or symptoms of her diagnosis. We waited six months to travel. In all, it was 176 days of prayer. I prayed with faith that our Ultimate Healer would work a miracle within my daughter on the other side of the world. I cupped my hands in prayer and asked the Lord's healing hands to deliver an amazing ending to this story. The more I prayed, the more I was able to trust Jesus.

The ending to our story is not uncommon to those who believe the lesson in Acts. When we traveled to China and finally brought her home, our daughter was perfectly healthy! There were absolutely no signs or symptoms of her brain diagnosis. In fact, our pediatrician – an adoption specialist who has brought a couple of his own kiddos home from around the world – saw no need to even verify the Chinese diagnosis with an MRI here in the United States. She has been home for over two years now, and we continue to see no reason to follow up on that scary diagnosis. Praise Jesus!

You too may be just one faithful prayer away from having healing hands!

Prayer – Dear Lord, thank You for the Holy Spirit that lives in us! Thank You for giving us Jesus, the Ultimate Healer. Please continually remind us that You are all powerful and have every illness, every diagnosis, and every disease in the palms of Your hands. I pray we have the faith it takes to just believe in Your promises and in Your Word, fully aware that healing comes in so many forms and is always in Your perfect timing! In Jesus’ name, I pray. AMEN!

© 2012 As A Clay Jar. All rights reserved.

One Who Illuminates By Cortney Donelson

Welcome to my new devotional blog! My prayer is that you will find encouragement and hope within the words and pictures that God lays on my heart to share here. Please feel free to leave comments. I welcome your feedback! This first devotional is an explanation of the title of my blog, As A Clay Jar. Enjoy, and God bless!

 2 Corinthians 4:7 (NLT)

“We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.”

Some of my closest friends gave me a new name… a Hebrew name, Meira. It means, “One who Illuminates.” Let me explain. These wonderful Christian women view me as the “Light” of the group. There are eight of us in this accountability group, and each has her own significant name, apart from her birth name. Some of the names are Ariel or “Lion of God,” Rafaela or “Healed by God”, Cherut or “Freedom”, and Liron or “My Song.”

These names are a reflection of how a Holy Creator designed us as uniquely as He did each snowflake that falls from the sky. The names also highlight our God-inspired strengths. They represent the holy piece of God that we carry around on display for others to see.

I love my name. It was given to me during a very dark time in my life. It was a reminder of God’s truth and His promises. I may be a fragile jar made of clay where life’s trials and struggles can crack my exterior and bring me to my knees. However, the Holy Spirit within me is a light that can shine forth through those cracks, spreading joy, hope, and truth.

My cracks won’t cause me to crumble. My difficult days won’t cause me death. Even more amazing than what the Lord does for my heart is how He can use my imperfections and struggles to minister to others. I can be sitting in my own dark cave, and I can still shine with His Light for those around me. I may be ripping at the seams, yet I can still provide to others that same joy, hope, and truth that the Lord provides for me.

That is the glory of it all. God is bigger than any of our cracks. He is bigger and better. His power is infinitely stronger than our flesh and the enemy’s tactics combined. As 2 Corinthians 4:7 states, “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” That great treasure is God himself…. How does He shine through you? Is it through worship and praise? Is it through ministering to wounded hearts or breaking down walls? Perhaps it is through speaking like a Holy megaphone. For me, it is shining his Light into darkness, illuminating the path for others to see.

Prayer – Dear Lord, we whole-heartedly thank you for creating us to be delicate vessels that will never shatter as long as we have You. We praise you for every good and perfect gift you provide, despite our mistakes, weaknesses, and shortcomings. You are a great treasure! Thank you that even in darkness, you have and will continue to overcome! In Jesus’ Name, I pray. AMEN!

© 2012 As A Clay Jar. All rights reserved.