The Sustainable Practice of Redeeming Broken Vessels
A story is told of a master potter known for her exquisite clay vessels. One day, while carrying her finest creation—a delicate vase—to the market, she tripped, and it shattered on the ground. Heartbroken, she gathered the pieces, but instead of discarding them, she took them back to her workshop.
Carefully, she ground the shards into dust, mixed them with fresh clay, and shaped a new vessel. When she fired it in the kiln, the vase emerged with stunning colors and patterns, more beautiful than before—strengthened by its brokenness.
A young apprentice, watching in awe, asked, "Why didn’t you throw it away?" The master potter smiled and said, "Brokenness is not the end. In the hands of the Potter, even shattered pieces can become something new."
It's a lovely story, but it doesn't begin to describe the actual process a potter must go through to redeem and repurpose the value of a broken vessel. AI describes the entire process this way ...
Reusing clay from broken pottery is a sustainable practice, though it does require some effort. Here’s how you can do it:
- Gather and Crush: Collect the broken pottery pieces and break them down into small fragments. If the pottery was glazed, you’ll need to scrape off the glaze, as it doesn’t easily blend back into clay.
- Soak and Slake: Place the broken pieces into a container and cover them with water. Let them soak for a day or two. This process, called "slaking," helps rehydrate the clay.
- Remove Impurities: Once the clay becomes soft, you can mix it into a slurry and strain it through a fine mesh to remove impurities, like bits of glaze or other materials.
- Dry and Knead: Spread the wet clay onto a plaster surface to dry until it reaches a workable consistency. Then knead it thoroughly to eliminate air bubbles and ensure a smooth texture.
- After these steps, the clay should be ready to reuse for new projects! It’s a great way to reduce waste and create something fresh out of old materials.
Like clay in God’s hands, our brokenness is not wasted. He reshapes our pain, failures, and regrets into something stronger and more beautiful. But this is no easy process. Like the potter in the story above, our Master Potter goes through many of the same steps to redeem and reclaim our brokenness for his good will and pleasure.
First, we must be broken down in humility before the shattered pieces of our lives can be rebuilt.
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Psalms 51:17, ESV).
Next, we must allow ourselves to be "slaked" (refreshed, rehydrated) by the renewing power of Living Water.
"But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:4, ESV).
"For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish" (Jeremiah 31:25, ESV).
Next, we must be cleansed from our impurities.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9, ESV).
Finally, we must be kneaded into a smooth and workable slab of clay to be molded and reshaped by the Master Potter.
"The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 'Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words.' So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do" (Jeremiah 18:1-4, ESV).
"But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand" (Isaiah 64:8, ESV).
Surrender your broken pieces to Him! He longs to redeem your brokenness so that He might do His new work in your life!
"To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:22-24, ESV).
The Longest Road to Walk
According to CNBC TV Travel and some social media influencers:
The longest road in the world to walk, is from Cape Town (South Africa) to Magadan (Russia). No need for planes or boats, there are bridges. It's a 22,387 kilometers (13911 miles) and it takes 4,492 hours to travel. It would be 187 days walking nonstop, or 561 days walking 8 hours a day. Along the route, you pass through 17 countries, six time zones and all seasons of the year.
CNBC reports:
If you are thinking about embarking on this journey on foot, you will have to keep walking continuously for a total of 4,492 hours. Without breaks, the total time accumulates to 187 days.
If you are thinking about walking eight hours a day, then you will be able to cover this distance in 562 days. In this time, you can conquer the world’s highest peak Mount Everest 13 times and return, as per reports.
This route passes through several conflicted nations like Syria and Sudan. To enter some of these nations on the route, you will be required to apply for a visa.
Besides this, you will be required to deal with the scorching heat of the Sahara Desert, Siberia's nail-biting snow, and so much more.
According to multiple reports, "... no person has been able to complete this long walk so far."
The Bible is replete with references to our spiritual journey being a path, a walk, or a course. At times, walking this path of this Christian life can feel like the longest, most challenging, most difficult walk in the world. But scripture calls us to "run with endurance the race that is set before us." We're challanged to ask, "where the ggod way is; and walk in it." We're told that when we trust in God, He will "make your paths straight." We're admonished to ""Ponder the path of your feet," and to "mark out a straight path." And we're warned to never look back at the road behind us, but to "press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
When the road your on feels like you're trying to trudge your way from the Capetown to Magadan, through time zones, and battle zones, over the hot sands of the Sahara, and through bone chilling snow drifts of Siberia, keep moving. The Lord Himself walked that road for you, and He will be there to receive you at the finish.
And unlike the reports of the Cape Town to Magadan road which "... no person has been able to complete ... so far," this treck has been completed by masses who alll crossed the finish line, there to hear the words of the Savior, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."
"Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls" (Jeremiah 6:16, ESV).
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1, ESV).
"John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord" (John 1:23, NIV).
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV).
"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalms 16:11, NIV).
"Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me" (Psalms 5:8, NIV).
"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6, NIV).
"Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure" (Proverbs 4:26, ESV).
"Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths" (Psalms 25:4, ESV).
"So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong. Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord" (Hebres 12:12-14, NLT).
"And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them" (Isaiah 42:16, ESV).
"Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil" (Proverbs 4:26-27, ESV).
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:12-14, NIV).
It's An Uphill Battle
According to Greek mythology, Sisyphus was a king who angered the gods by his craftiness and trickery, even having once cheated death. His eternal punishment was to push a boulder up a steep hill, only to watch it roll back down just before he reached the top. Sisyphus would then have to start over, pushing the boulder back up again, in a never-ending cycle of effort without achievement.
Thus, the term "Sisyphean endeavor" refers to a task that is both laborious and futile. It represents the endlessness futility of pursuing worldly success
No matter how many times we push our boulder up the hill of worldly gain and materialism, it always comes right back down. This is the reality we all face until God infuses divine purpose into our otherwise pointless lives.
"Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds" (Ephesians 4:17, ESV).
"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand" (Proverbs 19:21, ESV).