Blogs › Take it like a Man

Upside Down? No. Rightside Up.

Posted August 27, 2008

I've mentioned in blogs past that I pulled a Timothy Leary (e.g. "Turn on, tune in, drop out") maneuver a few months ago and decided that life was too short to do anything other than what the Lord was leading me to do.

After years of fighting what I considered an irresponsible urge to go off and do what was in my heart, I finally did.

Financially, it has been something of a disaster. Ella's wearing recycled diapers. Which are diapers we've run through the dishwasher. (Just kidding.)

It's not that bad. Matter of fact, it's never been better.

We don't eat alot of filet mignon these days; but, we do eat our meals in peace.

We don't spend alot of time jet-setting around the social circuit; but, we're not the least bit isolated, or alone. As our economic bracket changed, so did a few of our friends.

But at least now we know who they are. And we don't really miss the others as much as we thought we would.

(They probably don't miss us, either. I've never been very good at parties.)

It's been hard on the ol' ego; nothing puts you in your place like picking out the perfect outfit and color-coordinated hair-clip for your daughter before meeting your wife for lunch....at her office.

Some people probably mock my simplistic-world view. "How", they say, "can you believe in something as simple as a God, much less a God that has a plan for you?"

The answer is in my kitchen.

I love to cook. And, our kitchen carries in it a variety of cookware. My favorite item is a big yellow mixing bowl, good for all occasions.

It's made of earth; clay. It has but one purpose: hold stuff.

And as long as my expectations of the bowl don't go beyond it's purpose, we get along just fine.

If I try to use the bowl as a meat cleaver, things don't go as planned.

If I try to use the bowl as a spatula, I'm apt to be disappointed.

My yellow earthen friend has a few chips around the edges. Sometime's it's crusty and in need of a vigorous disinfecting.

But, chipped, cracked, or caked, it's always a yellow clay bowl.

I'm alot like that bowl. I have but one purpose. I am designed to hold something.

I tried holding a bunch of money. Things didn't go as planned.

I tried holding on to an image of what the world told me I needed to be.

I was disappointed.

It was when I stopped trying to be anything other than what I am, and started filling myself up with the Lord's purpose for my life, that things started making sense.

Matter of fact, this cracked, chipped and crusty old earthen bowl filled to overflowing.

Because, after all, I'm the bowl. Not the Potter. On my own, I'm just an earthen void; without the Potter, I'm misshapen and ill-suited to do anything worthwhile.

In the future, I'll stop trying to pull rank on the potter, and start doing his job for Him.

After all, my perspective, alot like that yellow bowl, is limited from my spot there on the counter next to the can opener.

The Potter sees the whole kitchen, and has access to all the right recipes.

And He doen't make mistakes.

If you don't have an Independent-Mail.com account, register here to comment on this and all Independent-Mail blogs