Glimpses of Grace: Treasuring the Gospel in your HomeSample

Treasures in Jars of Clay, Not in Fine Bone China

We don’t like to be weak; we prefer to be strong. It’s our tendency to deny our weaknesses and failures, covering them up with pretense and excuses. For many of us homemakers our greatest fear is in being found incompetent, insufficient, and ineffective.

If we’re not strong, then we want to at least look like we’ve got it all together. Personally, I know that I like to give lip service to the idea that “nobody’s perfect,” but I would rather die trying to prove that I’m the exception to the rule!

But our God delights in glorifying himself by using jars of clay to show the surpassing power of the gospel is his and his alone. He joyfully puts the treasure of his gospel into our clumsy, butter-finger hands despite our sinfulness, inadequacies, and failings.This is contrary to logic. We don’t naturally choose foolish, broken, and fragile things as preferable to the sturdy, healthy, and wise. We would much rather host flawlessly planned and executed hospitality events. We put our “best face” forward. We take pains to make our bodies look presentable and defer the effects of aging. We love to be admired—by others and ourselves.

Our disdain of our brokenness boils down to just that—we live for our own glory. We’re sinful, self-centered, and reluctant to worship God as our Creator who has the right to do with us as he pleases. And he is pleased to show his surpassing power through using simple, plain, foolish jars of clay. Serving in the strength that God provides is a supernatural ministry in the midst of the mundane. Are you willing to honor God in your brokenness?