“But the Jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over”- Jeremiah 18:4

There are certain verses that touch me deeply once I fully grasp the nature of God’s love for me. God is never done with us no matter how much we mess up. A potter is meticulous in how he shapes the clay because clay by nature isn’t solid, it is unpredictable which requires great patience. Here are a few lessons learned.

-The clay that came out perfectly was fully centered, and 100% yielded to the molding of the potter.
-The clay trusted the potter and never questioned what was being done.
-The process of the clay was really messy
-Excess clay had to be taken out regularly.
-The Potter was very patient and meticulous. Even when the clay went off the center, the potter with just a slight push, remembered to recenter the clay.
-In some instances, he had to start over, but he never gave up, until he got the desired shape.

We are the clay and God is the potter. Please don’t give up on yourself, when God has not given up on you. Wherever you are, let Him recenter you and complete the work in you, to make you fit for His use.

Be Blessed

Sosasmama💕

The beauty about the grace of God:
He knew me before I was even a thought to my parents. He chose me on the basis of His foreknowledge, to be in Christ, knowing I would respond to His love & grace. He knows everything about me, He knows the many mess ups that will occur in my life. He is aware of things that seem to be a surprise to me. He knows the end result of my life.  I must also be aware that God’s grace on my life is never a license to freely live in sin. It allows me to just be, remaining in Him, knowing that in doing so, He gets to fulfill His purpose for my life.

Sosasmama

Luke 10:38-42

I’d like to show how two people approach a task in two different ways. Mary and Martha were hospitable women, but when Jesus visited their home, Martha was so busy and distracted by preparation and making everything perfect because that’s how she was used to doing her tasks. There is nothing wrong with that but if it happened to me that Jesus was my guest I would be so stunned that I wouldn’t even know what to do with myself. Mary, on the other hand, as Jesus noted chose the “only” thing needed. She sat at the feet of the Master listening closely to every word that came out of His mouth. And this, Jesus said, CANNOT be taken from her. Martha chose to create a perfect environment for Jesus and Mary simply gave her heart to Jesus.

It is easy to say, oh no, I will be too stunned to be Martha. However, there are a lot of ways I have, and still sometimes continue to be like Martha. There are distractions everywhere, from social media to being busy with life that fight for my time with the Lord. This ought not to be, this is why Jesus says that Mary has chosen well.

While being like Martha is not necessarily bad, sometimes just enjoying Jesus’ presence is enough. Being like Martha, I have learned, creates a lot of anxiety and fear of not performing to the right standard. While on the other hand, being seated at the feet of Jesus like Mary, gives peace and allows you to walk in accordance with God’s plans. You will be more aware of what He is doing in and around you.

So, I dare you this once to be LIKE MARY. 

Sosasmama.

In His arms, the Lord hides me.
In His arms, I am safe. It is the safest place to be. In His arms, all of my fears are gone, all of my worries fade away.
In His arms, I am secure, sure of the fact that nothing, and no one can harm me.
He hides me in His arms. It is the safest place to be.
He takes me within Himself, and I am safe and secure.
In my Abba’s arms.

Sosasmama

What I found most interesting in the book of Esther was that- despite how prominent she is in the Sunday School stories- she is seen as more of a minor benefactor in her own book. Queen Esther is a pivotal character- yet she is the most useful in chapters 2-5, as well as in 7 and 8. Esther is very much a figure to be remembered.

    But as I continued to read all 10 chapters within the book of Esther- the thing that stood out most to me was that- well, Esther seemed to be just that. A figure. It is stated multiple times that Esther was very fair in King Xerxes’ eyes, which did play a part in the defeat of Haman. But I do clearly remember that in Sunday School, Esther was cunning as she was beautiful. That she had purposely put herself before the king as a grab for power to help her people. In the book- it seems as though the situation lined up for Esther’s wellness. And yes- these events were obviously the Lord’s doing. But I feel that Esther- despite being one of the more visible women in the bible- does not seem to have the title that many give her. So as I read her book- I decided to name her something else. Something more fitting. I decided to name Esther the Catalyst.

    By definition, a catalyst is a person who precipitates the event. Esther fits this description perfectly. She did help set the freeing of the Jews in motion, along with Mordecai. Mind you- at first Esther was reluctant to approach the king. When reading- she seemed almost hesitant in my eyes. As though she was thinking- ‘Why give all this up to go before the king?’ It is often glazed over- to me at least- that Esther asked for all the Jews, including Mordecai, to fast for three days before she went to the king. Esther wanted to have God’s approval first, before she took the risk. Once they did do this, she went before the king and was granted his permission to speak. 

    I admire Esther for her idea. The idea being that she would expose Haman before the king, as to protect her people. As I was reading- I was confused. It seemed as though Mordecai had pushed this idea to the queen. But I found as I reread the area- that it was Esther’s own doing. This is the moment that Esther is most remembered for- however small it seems in the span of the whole book. Yet this moment is the prompt that Esther took toward the Jew empowerment. This is the moment that- even if it is seen as Esther using her cunning mind- is the one she also set a push in the right direction. I like to think of Esther as a second protagonist in her own book of the bible. Toward the end of the book- it is highlighted how Mordecai rose to power as King Xerxes’ new right hand man- and how the Jews became strong. Less and less is mentioned about Esther. Yes, she did help with some of the decrees, and as a spokesperson to the king- but these were minor.

    Esther in my eyes will always just be a catalyst- now that I’ve read her book. Although some may see her as the quick-minded queen- I simply see her as a figure for God’s will, like Mary. She is merely there to push the order of things along. The thing to take away from Esther’s book is not only to be brave in the face of decision making- but also to take the first step. To take the first step can set off chain reactions that better the surroundings, and everyone should aspire to be that way.

Aisosa Ochieng