Fashioned by the Potter | A Poem

     Are you ready to take two very short trips with me today? The first one is a trip down memory lane. I’m sharing a poem that I wrote a few years back. An item of interest in the backstory of this poem is that I was in Mexico when I finished writing it. The second trip we’re going to take is into our imaginations. You will need to use your imagination as you listen to the conversation the young lady engages in with a pitcher. Or maybe I should say it the other way around since the pitcher actually starts the conversation. I hope you will find this poem enjoyable and thought-provoking!

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

1 Peter 5:6-7

A vain young lady entered a shop
To buy a piece of pottery;
Many pretty pieces met her eyes
Looking like a shiny glazed sea.

She began to shop for a pitcher
For a friend she hoped to impress.
“Now she will admire me,” she said
Complacently smoothing her dress.

While looking at one of the pitchers
She was startled to hear a voice;
At first, she thought it was the potter
Coming to help her make her choice.

She glanced into her pocket mirror
And pushed back a stray wisp of hair.
Then she turned to see who had spoken
But could not see anyone there.

A moment later she realized that
The voice had come from a pitcher.
It repeated what it had first said
“Don’t you think I am prettier?”

The pitcher was white with blue flowers
And it was quite prettily made,
But it was not any prettier
Than the other pitchers displayed.

“You do have nice coloring,” she said.
“Yes of course,” the pitcher replied;
“I am very proud of my good looks
They could not improve if I tried.”

“But the potter made you,” cried the girl
“What right to any pride have you?
You should not be taking the credit
For something that you did not do.”

“Oh, I know the potter seems to think
That my looks should bring him credit,
But I am the one who is pretty
So I do not understand it.”

Another thing that seems odd to me
Is his concern for the inside.
Why should it matter if it is clean?
I disagree with him,” it sighed.

The girl realized that it was useless
To argue with it anymore,
So she purchased a plain white pitcher
And then thoughtfully left the store.

She began to think of her own pride
And thought of how she had no right
To be vain of her beautiful looks,
Made not by her but by God’s might.

For the very first time in her life,
She could see her need to be clean
And let God cleanse her on the inside,
Which matters more than what is seen.

It became clear that to be useful
A pure heart is what matters most,
And after that she thought less about
Her looks of which she used to boast.

But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

Isaiah 64:8

Simple Takeaway

1. God is our Potter and Creator.
2. Everything we have, whether talent, looks, or anything else, all comes from Him.
3. Let’s thank the Lord and give Him all the glory through our lives!

Let’s Chat!

     Have you ever written any poetry? Did you enjoy using your imagination today? What did you take away from the poem?

     Until next time, live for the glory of God!

In Christ,

Bethany