The Heart of a Parent in the Hands of the Potter
Posted: Sunday, January 25, 2009
by Jon Searles
My mother collects pottery. Over the years she has amassed a collection of old Rosehill and McCoy pottery. Whenever my wife and I have an occasion to buy a gift for my mother we search the flea markets and antique stores for the next addition to her collection. She always receives it as if it is the best and most unique of her collection. One thing I notice about every piece that we have purchased for her is that none are perfect. Small fissures and visible cracks road map the surface of the pottery with what appears to be a clear finish over the top of the unique labyrinth. It's as if each was destined to have its own distinctive pattern of intersecting lines of imperfection, like individual fingerprints. Many look as if fine hairs had been laid upon the surface before a clear layer of paint or sealer was applied. Some occasionally have a larger crack which is obviously a break that has been painstakingly mended or filled with something to help it avoid completely collapsing and making the piece of pottery just a pile of old broken clay.
The eldest son found his way and now has three great children and a wife of 25 years. The middle son too has three children and has found success in the world with his loving wife and triumph over addictions. The daughter and her husband have three fantastic children and will also celebrate 25 years of marriage this year. All have contributed to the bowl which represents the heart of a mother who continues to worry and fret over nine grandchildren and the lives of her three children.
Our hearts weather handling and experiences like the old pottery bowls. All show character and represent the journey that each has taken since the bowls were fired in the kilns of their birth. Some of the pottery stays pristine with minor blemishes, some needs meticulous repair or restoration to stay whole, and with sadness and regret some do not make it for they meet a force that they cannot overcome and are shattered beyond repair. God formed our hearts on the potter's wheel much in the same way to represent the perfect breakable piece of pottery he created for this world. The kiln strengthened the pottery and Christ was sent to keep the bowl together. You and I contribute to the tangle of web that are visible upon the surface for each of those pieces of pottery that love us. Hopefully the cracks which we leave are fine and do not break the potter's creation.
While I dwell on my mother's heart I find myself wondering how my, a father's heart, would look as my children reach ages of decision. An older son at college and in the military, a middle son searching for his next stage of life wanting to make his own decisions, and a daughter whose smile tells me she is ready for the world. I see in the eyes of their mother the forming cracks in her heart. The heart is still whole, it is still full, and in its own way it has been made more beautifully exceptional through the struggles now and those to come. Fragile, yes, but strong enough for the purpose for which the original potter had intended.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Jon, written by a man with the wisdom given to him by his heavenly Father. You wrote with understanding and total acceptance to His will for our lives. You spoke of the fragile heart but where we must put our trust to no matter the weather in our life. Thank you for sharing your extended family and the heart of your mother. My prayers are with you and your wife as you continue to allow the Potter to mold you as parents. May He bless you as you seek Him for guidance.Please log in to respond to this comment.
Avis,Thank you for the kind words. My hope is that I can remain patient during his guidance. God bless.Please log in to respond to this comment.
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