Clay Pots and Broken Pieces

The broken pieces lay in a pile—the remnants of a clay pot I neglected to put away last fall. No problem. Add them to the cracked pieces I discovered near the baseball now resting not far from them.

Yep, mom of boys who play baseball and accidentally break clay pots!

Even still, I love clay pots. They retain moisture without flooding what’s growing inside. And they resist heat–protecting my plants from scorching when I forget to water them.

They’re simple.
They’re ordinary.
They’re not flashy.
They don’t detract from the blooms they contain.

The problem: earthen vessels are fragile.

Though sturdy and hefty to house emerging blossoms, clay pots break. They split from too much pressure. They crumble at the onset of hurling baseballs and tripping boys. Breakable and shatter-prone, clay pots often produce razor-sharp pieces that cut unsuspecting hands.

And the biggest drawback of all? Unless the pieces are carefully and skillfully glued back together, there is no pot.

Only pieces – of no use to the plant meant to live inside it.

Do you ever feel broken like that?

Undone by words you wish you could take back but can’t. Overwhelmed by the demands of a busy life and the regret that comes when your margins are too small? Tied in knots and struggling to forgive. Conversations that haven’t even happened play over and over in your mind – shaming, blaming, criticizing.

Them.
And you.

If that’s you, friend, keep reading.

Graced People

Graced people in the hands of a grace-growing God see things differently.

Failure isn’t fatal. And brokenness isn’t beyond repair.  

Because of what Jesus has done,

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, NLT

Jesus authors and perfects our faith to the ‘start again’ that leads to “I’m sorry.” He empowers the humility that receives forgiveness rather than defending brokenness. He provides the courage to keep reconciling, even when the way is unknown and the path unclear.

We don’t deserve it.
We didn’t earn it.
It’s God’s grace.

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 Corinthians 4:7, NLT)

We are broken.
We are weak.
We are temporary.
But Jesus is not.

In the Hands of a Grace Growing God

Further, our brokenness doesn’t surprise God. Nor is He put off by it.

Why? Because God is in the business of growing graced people. 

The treasure that is Jesus lives and abides in these earthen vessels that are our life together. As we choose life connected to the vine, His glory and everyday goodness shine through our vulnerabilities as we acknowledge them.

The harsh word.
The under our breath comments.
The judgments over someone else’s priorities.
The busied margins. 
The bargaining we do with God – you do this for me and I’ll do that for you.

Graced people give the world a glimpse of God’s start-again goodness when we don’t deserve it. The world sees the path to forgiveness as we receive it and choose to extend it.

In the hands of a grace-growing God, graced people are glued back together –  repaired, and restored with the treasure of Jesus shining through the chipped and sometimes missing pieces.

That’s what this blog and site are all about.

Welcome in!
To Real Grace for Your Real Life.

Please introduce yourself and comment below. See you next time!

From one graced person to another,

Jennifer