Treasure in a Chipped Pot

This week I have chips on my mind, and unfortunately they aren’t the delicious, crunchy kind that come with a side of fresh salsa.  I’m talking about those heartbreaking chips that all too frequently appear – in my kitchen countertop, on the chair legs in the living room, on the baseboards, and most painful of all - on the side of my car.  Ouch!  I never realized how many things I own are chippable!  All of these objects have one thing in common.  They carry a thin coating over an inner core that looks completely different.  It wouldn’t be such a tragedy if you bumped a chair leg with the vacuum cleaner and the wood that was exposed was the same color as the outside, but that never seems to be the case.  If my car doors were cast iron, I wouldn’t have to worry about where I park on a windy day in Texas.  Unfortunately that thin layer of paint on metal is no match for the impact of the door of another car when a gust of wind slams it into mine. 

What about me?  When I get bumped does my veneer of “good person” get chipped to reveal the hopelessly bad person underneath?  Yes, it does, frequently!  My desire is to be the same all the way through.  I want to be solid with the love and life of Jesus flowing through me 24/7, so that when life takes a chip out of me the same grace keeps shining through.  Unfortunately, as long as I am living in this tent of flesh, I will continue to struggle with letting the Lord live through me in all things.  I will still get incredibly angry when someone cuts me off – verbally or in traffic.  Sharp words will be springing from my tongue when I least expect it, and I’m sure I’ll be battling until my dying day to stay out of God’s way in the lives of my family.  Ephesians 1:13-14 tells me I have the Holy Spirit in my heart as a deposit guaranteeing that one day I will be wholly holy, but until then, I have these chips to remind me how desperately I need a savior.  But, here’s the really wonderful part – Jesus knows I can’t live a holy life without His help.  He knows I am a chipped clay pot and He came to save me anyway.  He hasn’t called me to a life of trying to be perfect for Him, but a life of being perfected as I live in Him.  

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.  2 Cor. 4:7 (ESV)

Abba Father, help us bear the burden of our jars of clay with grace and may it continually be more of You that pours out on those around us.  In Jesus’ Name. Amen.