Monday, August 13, 2012

Sandbox Memories and Endless Possibilities.




It was about 27 some years ago; there were 2 little blonde heads, bent together in the sand box of my childhood home. Taking turns, the heads would bob up and down as the little bodies dug a hole into the sand. My best friend and I were taking turns with the plastic shovel. Since it was no longer my turn, I was using both of my now grimy seven year old hands to scoop and scrape into the gravely sand. We continued on in determination as we made it through the last layer of sand in my sand box.  Foraging ever deeper we dug down into the dirt like tenacious Pirates searching for a long lost treasure.

I could feel and see the texture changing as the dark soil beneath was slowly being revealed. I knew we were getting close to our goal as my fingers grew cold, matching the temperature of the earth I was delving into. Still we kept plunging our shovel and little hands deeper down as we scratched away at the earth.

As I leaned down into our hole I reached with both hands, fingers out stretched and pulled away as much of the dirt I could muster back up the slanted wall of our ever growing hole. We giggled as we pondered the possibility of reaching China through our hole like they did on our favorite cartoons. 

A few more handfuls of the dark dirt were flung away, and our giggles quickly changed to excited exclamations of victory. We had finally found our long sought after damp, hard packed treasure. My best friend and I had struck the gold we had been digging for, the cold, and clammy, pack of grey clay nestled in the earth below. Today we were going to make something with this clay. It held endless possibilities in our young imaginative minds and clumsy little fingers. 

As I grew older I followed my longing to create in the art world. I can remember the musty smell and the way the wet clay would feel in my hands. I can recall the exhilaration I would feel as I pondered the possibilities for this unassuming simple lump of clay. 

Would I create a functional piece? Maybe I could spin a bowl for a families’ dinner table, or an elegant vase for displaying beautiful flower arrangements. Perhaps I would carve and mold the bust of someone famous, or a sculpture, a master piece of fine art. The possibilities were ... You got it, Endless. 

You are the potter I am the clay,

Isaiah 64:8
Yet you, Lord, are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
We are all the work of your hand.

I love how God used this analogy in the Bible. Could it be possible our Lord wanted us to understand our possibilities are endless in His hands? God is the most creative and skilled Master of Art that has ever existed. Just take a few moments and look at His creation. 

Take a walk through the woods



or stare at the intricacy in the designs of His flowers.



Admire His amazing paint that splashes across the skies in a beautiful sunset…


Or the mystery and wonder of His lovely underwater world. 








He is absolutely amazing in His variety and the hand crafted beauty of each of His precious creations. You see, the possibilities for a lump of clay in God’s hands are endless.

My friends the possibilities for us are endless as well. We too are created and designed for a purpose by His hands. No longer is the confidence of who I am or designed to be wrapped in my own success or failures. Now I see it resides in who I place my confidence in. 

You see this confidence is not about who I am…
It’s about who my God is. 

I know I am frail, and prone to selfishness.  At times, I long for the easy way out, and I sometimes suffer from the fear of making mistakes…
But when my eyes are on my God, then everything changes.

He is all powerful.  He is magnificent. All knowing, all loving, and in control. He is Truth, and trust worthy. He is faithful even when I am not. Anything is possible with Him. With this knowledge, no longer do my fears resonate in me, but instead the Holy Spirit proclaims God’s Truth and His power.

Today could you take a moment and silence the fears and doubts about yourself and what you are capable of? Instead, rest in who your God is. Go in His strength today. Let His peace and purpose for you guide your every step. In the big and in the small trust the Potter. We are safe, and cherished in His skilled and loving hands.



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19 comments:

  1. It has taken me years to understand that having confidence is not about me but about who my God is. I used to and still do at times, focus on myself more than God and that's when my feet beging to fall beneath the water like Peter. But the older I get, the more I stay above water because my confidence now is in HIM, not me. Yes, He is magnificant! And with the right kind of confidence, yes, the possibilities are endless. Kind of exciting :) Hallelujah!

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  2. AH! Your message is so motivational! It is so true! This is a struggle for us all to keep our eyes on Him daily. The more we do it, or make our efforts to start with our focus on Him and His power, love, and grace it becomes easier! (Some weeks I am better at this than others.) I am just in awe at how He is our constant supply! PTL! :)

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  3. My favorite is this: "Could it be possible our Lord wanted us to understand our possibilities are endless in His hands? God is the most creative and skilled Master of Art that has ever existed." A thousand Amens!!! My sister and I hold crafternoons for our sisters in our Christian community to bring out their possibilities and potentials! When we are like our Father and CREATE we connect to Him and it is beautiful! “Patsy from
    HeARTworks and
    papemelroti

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    1. Thank you for your encouragement! Ijust love that you all are holding crafternoons. What an awesome idea! I have really enjoyed looking through your beautiful artworks on your blog. It so evident you are inspired by our amazing Lord. :)

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  4. Thank you for taking the time to write something that was a pleasure to read today. Struggling with insecurities is nothing new to most people in the world :0(. His love and acceptance are all that we need to voercome them.

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  5. I just start a study on the names of God with a friend. This goes right along with that. Thanks for sharing!

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  6. A wonderful post... as clay is in the potters hands am I in the Lord's hands... Have a wonderful day!

    http://thejoyfulservant.com

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  7. I love this post! You drew me in easily with the sand box story. I remember digging with friends at school and seriously thinking we could dig our way to China.

    Thanks for linking up with WIP Wednesday! I'm excited about getting to know you better!

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    1. Thanks for stopping in! I had to explain this "digging to China Concept" to my kids the other day. They just looked at me with a "Mom!? Seriously you thought you could?" face. I guess this concept is no longer joked about in cartoons... Time to break out the looney tunes! :)

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  8. Beautiful post, Heather! I have to confess to you--I was shocked you reached clay. all I ever reached as a kid was rock. hard limestone, etc... ;)

    "But when my eyes are on my God, then everything changes." so true. Isn't it amazing how all else fades when we are focused on Him? Even my imperfections. What grace!

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  9. lol. ;) It really isn't that amazing where I grew up. It was only about 1 1/2- 2 feet down in certain places. It drives my parents nuts with gardening, but for the kids it was pretty cool! :)

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  10. Thanks for sharing this beautiful piece with us at Inspire Me Monday! You've been featured this week at

    Create With Joy
    http://create-with-joy.com

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  11. Hi, I'm stopping by from Scribing the Journey. It was fun to picture you and your friend digging into damp wet sand. Nice to meet you.

    Jennifer Dougan
    www.jenniferdougan.com

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    1. Thank you for stopping by! I will have to come visit you next. :)

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  12. Beautifully written post! I am an artist, as well, and I love the analogy that we can become whatever He wants us to be. So often I think about God being the artist who created nature and the world around us. I forget that He is still creating what He wants in me. Thanks for the reminder!

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  13. Thank you Heather! So we have another thing in common. I am so grateful to have met you! God is awesome. :)

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