On Leaks and Grace

Today is a rainy day here in our corner of the world, and as I walked into the church this morning I noticed that there were several buckets and a tarp set up near the entrance. It occurred to me that before this morning’s downpour, those who take care of the church building probably had no idea that the leaks existed – they were undetectable until the rain came. Then I thought about my own life, and of how sometimes it has to rain before the leaks – in my character, in my prayer life, in my habits – are exposed. And in my better moments, I remember to ask God to help me fill those leaks, those cracks that are a part of me because He is the potter and I am the vessel made of clay (see Isaiah 64: 8). I am not meant to be an airtight container, self-sufficient and able to hold anything on my own. I am meant to be an earthen vessel, a jar of clay, full of cracks that can only be filled by God, the potter, and more beautiful because of them.

But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us… 2 Cor 4:7