Written for 509 Community, based on Philippians 3:4-14
I am what is called a “process artist.” My favorite creative
outlets involve steps- image development, layered painting techniques, crafting
a ceramic piece...etc. It has been 4 years since I’ve had my hands in clay, but
when I read this passage from Philippians, I couldn’t help but think of
forming, drying, and firing it.
Isaiah 64:8 (and
tons of other places in Scripture) uses the analogy of a potter and clay to describe
our relationship with God. We all begin as mud. It takes a death of fire to
perfect us. Even if a piece looks perfect, until it’s put through the kiln,
it’s extremely fragile. It’s unfinished.
We can bear the
appearance of Christ, but until we become like him in dying to ourselves, we
aren’t truly following him. In the Philippians passage, Paul talks about how he
counts all of his religious accomplishments as loss in comparison to his life
lived in fellowship with Christ. None of it mattered until he gave up just
existing for himself.
We can say the right
things, and even do the right things, but it does matter what we are doing them for. The difference is between bearing
the fragile appearance of Christ, or actually being like him.
We must “forget what
lies behind and reach forward to what lies ahead.” We must “press on toward the
goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” It’s about
orientation. Rather than face the potter’s wheel where we discovered our
beauty, we must face the cross of the kiln. Our beauty is still present, but
now we are strong enough to be used. No longer are we just for show, we can be
filled and emptied without breaking.
Holy and perfect Jesus,
We thank you for your death. We praise you
for your Spirit that enables us to die as well. We confess that we are prone to
the narcissism of pride and the narcissism of self-loathing. Mold us, Heavenly
Father, to be like Christ not only in appearance, but also in spirit. May we decrease
that you may increase.
For Your Glory alone, Amen.
-Rachel Whitehurst
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