Broken to be useful (63/100)

Laying this work and this journey into Jesus' hands to hold this evening at the first Contemplative Coffee Bar, I moved more deeply into my desire for You in the context of community.

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. -- 2 Cor 4:7 (NLT)

Melody Hogan's A vessel He can use

Fragile clay jar = that which is near breaking, nearly shattered, yet, still held together

You have chosen to not destroy me but to hold me together -- why? Why not let it be all of You? Why not remove me completely so that Your glory might shine unhindered?

But You have chosen not to remove me, instead You hold me ever so delicately together tho' near shattering, collapsing, falling into a heap of dust.

Displaying Your glory so that others can see You -- the contrast of my darkness making greater Your glory appear.

This great treasure, this marvelous light,

shining in me, shining past me,

others looking in my direction, but seeing You,

only You in Your blinding glory.

Fragile, even broken in spots, spilling out its contents. This jar, unable to hold it in, but in Your economy, the most useful, not the least. I am meant to spill out You as I am carried along in Your work.

Made to be who I am -- fragile, easily broken, dependent on the glue of You holding me together -- every flaw existing with purpose, great purpose in contrast and in releasing.

This is us, all of us, not just me.

Living, existing with purpose that the world cannot see. For a pot or a jar is to hold its contents, but we are made to spill out our contents lavishly onto all we touch and all we meet.