Chosen vessels

 Human life is full of both the expected and unexpected flaws.

Sometimes we are the ones with poor judgement, and sometimes we are the victim of others' poor judgement.

 

Collisions happen.  

For my son, this week they happened twice!

On Monday morning on his way to work, he was hit by a driver who ran a red light.  It totaled his car and left home very shaken up and sore.  

On Tuesday on his way home from work he was rear ended in his wife's car.  That one had repairable damage.

I was thinking about the process of determining whether or not a car is salvageable or totaled out as I read in Acts chapter 9.

Ananias is told by the Lord to go seek out and teach Saul.

Ananias responds in a very human like fashion. "Lord,” he said, “I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints”.

How many times have I seen, heard or said this myself?

Sometimes about others and sometimes about myself?

Let me tell you about that guy.....

Actually I am just not good enough.  I know where I fall short and I know where they are falling short. 

Cracks, collisions, and sometimes even shattering are all inevitable in this imperfect human life. 

Trying to pretend or achieve otherwise is exhausting and learning to find beauty in the healing of broken things (us all) is worthwhile. 

The Lord responds to Ananias' concerns in this way. "He is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel”.

We are chosen vessels.  Even with all our flaws.  Vessels have many different purposes but each of ours can be beautiful and uplifting it others.  

But they do need some mending.  Which is where the Savior comes in. 

The Japanese art of Kintsugi is a "traditional Japanese restoration technique that heals vessels and restores broken pottery with seams of pure gold that highlight its “flaws” rather than hiding them."

The Savior is our touch of gold. He leaves shining beautiful healing in the place of sharp and broken shards.  These seams of gold testify of His touch and his promise and his power to help us all become the chosen vessels that we are. 

God doesn't total out people.

Instead he sees all that we can become.

And He offers healing.  

If we choose to accept it.