Run the RaceSample

FRAGILE VESSELS

When I was a child visiting my grandmother, she had glass cabinets filled with particularly beautiful glasses — thinly cut and finely decorated. Porcelain reserved for special occasions, safely stored away, always waiting for the right moment to be used. When I later started my own household, my grandmother gave me that porcelain set, saying, “Not a single piece has ever been broken.” You can imagine how I felt as I wrapped each piece in thin newspaper and tried to carry the box home safely.

Paul writes that we are like fragile vessels — and that the power working through us does not come from ourselves, but from God. He has chosen us to carry His glory into the world. We — His creation, fallen and no longer in our original paradisiacal state, mortal and fragile — are to carry the message of God’s saving grace into the world, against all opposition.

Yes, “better safe than sorry,” as the saying goes — but God didn’t send us out to be display pieces. It’s not the flawlessness that gives a cup its value, but the stories it tells — who has drunk from it. What matters is not what we look like, but what God fills us with. He uses us to bring life to others.

Being used, however, also means risk: maybe the glaze gets a crack, a small piece chips off, or even the handle breaks. But what if the whole cup breaks? The content gives something its value — not the other way around. A cup without tea quenches no thirst. It might look beautiful, but it’s useless.

There were no memories attached to my grandmother’s untouched porcelain set. No risks were ever taken. It was merely preserved — never entrusted to the hands of a guest. Today, the set is no longer complete and no longer in its original state. Countless small group gatherings, celebrations, and birthdays have left their mark on it. It has passed through many hands and has served valuable conversations and moments of connection.

God entrusts His saving message to you. From His hands comes the power needed to fulfill His plan for your life. He will give it to you exactly when you need it.

How do you want to live your life? Do you want to preserve it carefully — or entrust it into God’s hands for His purpose? Offer your life to Him anew today and ask Him to use you.