The Blacksmith's Blow

"A piece of iron can only become what the blacksmith decides it to be." Nigeria

I cannot begin to count the number of times I felt the blows of the blacksmith's hammer as He has tried to shape this twisted piece of iron into a useful tool of service. Each time the steel grows cold I am thrust back into the furnace of affliction as the hot coals purge the impurities and dross from the metal of a man I am becoming.

How foolish to resist the blacksmith's hand - to war against the purpose the master craftsman has designed. Each edge is sharpened by the hammer's blows and every imperfection is tried time and again in the fire.

I am left with a choice: to remain brittle and unpliable forcing the blacksmith to cast me aside in a pile of scrap iron; or to allow Him to mold me and shape me into a purposeful instrument, a sharpened sword, or plow. Only the blacksmith knows what this shapeless piece of iron is destined to become.

Clay Pots

I am reminded today of just how fragile life is and how fragile I am. Paul reminds us that God placed his most valuable treasure in jars of clay (2 Corinthians 4:7). Why would God entrust his message of hope, security and salvation into the hands of someone broken, fragile and weak? What logic is there in placing immeasurable riches in such unsecure vessels. Did not Jesus warn us "do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs" (Matt. 7:6)

It has taken me 51 years, but I am starting to get it. Our real ability to change the world, to transform the lives of others, to live a full and purposeful life comes through weakness. Consider a few of the things God tells us about our weaknesses.

• "If I must boast, I will boast in the things that show my weakness" (2 Cor. 11:30).
• "For my power is made perfect in weakness. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor. 12:9, 10).
• "These who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength..." (Heb. 13:33, 34).

Early in life I couldn't relate very well to people who struggled with divorce, discouragement and depression. I took the opinion they didn't have enough faith, or better yet - just get over it. Then my life began to crash and burn like so many I tried to counsel with years earlier. I asked all the WHY questions. Why is this happening to me? Why would God abandon me? Why can't I just die and this all be over?

The answer, I was being shaped, formed and perfected in weakness. Now I share my broken past with others who are hurting. I am open about the sins of my past and failures of the present. I am no longer ashamed that I am weak, imperfect or flawed. In fact I glory in all the warts and blemishes of my twisted personality. I glory in these things because I am not alone. If I can hold my head up tall and say, my life has been really messed up in places, but God loved me through it - others gain hope in my weakness.

God's treasures are in jars of clay because we can relate to them. I know - I am a cracked pot that often can't hold water, but God still trusts me to be His ambassador of  hope. He uses my weakness, teaches through my failures and inspires others through the tragedies of my life. I haven't always enjoyed the path my life has taken, but God still finds a way to use it to his glory.