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CLAY BALLS

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For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”
made his light shine in our hearts
to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory
displayed in the face of Christ.  
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that
this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
2 Corinthians 4:6-7

A while back I was called to serve on the Grand Jury.  We were comprised of sixteen people from differing backgrounds, socioeconomic status, race and gender.  No one knew what to expect.  No one knew the person who was sitting next to them.  And yet we were expected to act as one entity in determining whether the cases before us were to go to trial or not.  We were all apprehensive at first, but as time progressed and we talked among ourselves we became more comfortable with each other.  There was the orthodontist, the accountant, the nurse, the music promoter and the professor, as well as the Wal-Mart cashier, the nail tech, the receptionist, the housewife and the college student …many different people from all walks of life.  What if I had decided to alienate myself because I didn’t know them?  Obviously, I would never have gotten to know them.  What if I had looked on the outward appearance and determined that they were just not someone I would like to get to know.  I would have missed out on the comradery that we all developed.  I made friends that will remain so and fond memories that will linger from now on.  I have discovered that people are like unopened gifts.  They come in all different sizes, colors and packaging.  But like gifts, it’s really what’s inside that counts.

The following story is a perfect illustration. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did and I hope the impression it leaves will be one you’ll never forget.

Clay Balls
A man was exploring caves by the Seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn’t look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could.

He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock. Inside was a beautiful, precious stone! Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure. He found thousands of dollars’ worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left. Then it struck him. He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands, but he had just thrown it away! It’s like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn’t look like much from the outside. It isn’t always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it. We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person. There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to get to know that person, and if we ask God to show us that person the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth. May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay. May we see the people in our world as God sees them.

…And everyone said, “Amen!”

Are You Content?

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The reverent, worshipful fear of the Lord leads to life,

and he who has it rests satisfied [content];

he cannot be visited with [actual] evil.

Proverbs 19:23 Amplified Bible

I read something in my devotional this morning that really jumped out at me. “Contentment is not getting what you want. It’s enjoying what you’ve got!”  Learning to live in contentment is an age-old problem. Solomon had this to say about it…“Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.” (Ecclesiastes 1:8)

And in the New Testament the Apostle Paul says in direct contrast, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” (Philippians 4:12-13) Now Paul doesn’t say that contentment is automatic if you are a Christian. I know many Christians who are very discontent. Nothing ever seems to be exactly right with them. Paul indicates that it is a choice we make. He says, “I have learned…to be content.” I’m going to make a confession here, which as you know, I do quite often. (Well, the Bible does say, “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another.” ) I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve thought, “If I were wealthy, I know I would be happy and content. I would have no stress and life would be a bed of roses!” But I have learned, as Paul did, if I can’t be thankful and content now with all the blessings the Lord has already given me, it’s not likely that I would be content then either. And if I’m waiting for wealth to make me content…am I to make myself miserable until it comes? Life is entirely too short to pollute even one day with self-inflicted misery! I know you’ve heard this saying more times than you care to, but the statement itself makes it perfectly clear on whose shoulders the responsibility of our happiness lies, and it is this: “Don’t worry, be happy!” The understood subject in this sentence is “you” (don’t worry)…“you” (be happy!)” The choice is yours. The choice is mine! Focus on what you don’t have and be miserable or focus on what you do have and be content.

A very large factor in pulling off this contentment thing is trust. Hebrews 13:3 says, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” Do you believe that your Father God loves you? Do you believe that He has your best interests at heart? Do you believe that He is capable of meeting your wants and needs? Then tell me one reason you have for worry and discontent. It sounds to me like He has everything under control! Oh, it’s so wonderful just to rest in His love! You can rest in it when you remember that He sees the whole picture. He knows what is best for you and when it is best for you. Ruth Graham once said, “If it had not been for the grace of God, I would have married the wrong man…several times!” Sometimes God doesn’t give us what we want, when we want it, because He knows it’s not best for us. If we will just rest in the assurance of His love, how peaceful and content our lives will be! I don’t know about you, but that is my utmost desire.