As usual, I found this after the fact, but I think it is worth sharing. This story is especially special to me because it was told to me during a retreat in March. I was having an especially difficult time with my body image and the whole eating disorder thing and was in general struggling under the weight of everything going on; I had a lot of hurt I wanted to get rid of. I went into this retreat with an attitude of I'm done with it Lord; I wanted to love myself and truly let myself feel His love and mercy; I wanted to get out of the way and trust in Him alone and have a restored sense of peace. Never underestimate the Lord; when you give Him an inch He will give you an endless amount of love. He always has a plan, and the struggles are part of it to bring us strength and closer to Him. The women He brought into my life that weekend were truly Heaven picked and sent; they were so full of love, and I just knew it was the Lord loving me through them. I found so much freedom that weekend. Lord, I DO trust in You. I hope you feel God's love through this story as much as I did. God bless.
Taken from Barbara Johnson's Book
The Beautiful Teacup
A couple in England passed a china shop, which had a lovely teacup displayeda in the window. They went inside to see it more clearly, but suddenly the teacup spoke! " You don't undrstand, I haven't always been a teacup. There was a time when I was a lump of red clay. My Master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over. I screamed for Him to stop, to leave me alone. But He continued to mold me, and answered. "Not Yet!"
Then, I was placed on a wheel and spun around and around. It made me dizzy, spinning on and on like that. But He didn't stop when I was begging Him to take me off the wheel. He continued shaping and molding and then put me in the oven. I had never felt such intense heat. I wondered if He wanted me to burn up. And I screamed and beat on the door to get out. I could see the Master through the opening. And I read His lips, as He said, "Not Yet!"
Finally, the door did open. He put me up on the shelf and I began to cool. That felt better. Then, suddelnly, He brushed me, and painted me all over. The fumes were terrible. I thought I would surely choke to death. I was gasping for air and hurting inside from the heat, and choking fumes.
Soon, He put me into another oven. It wasn't like the first one, it was twice as hot. I knew for sure that this time I would suffocate. I begged my Master to stop. All the time I could see Him shaking His head, and saying, "Not Yet!" I felt there was no help. I knew I could never make it. I was ready to give up. But just then the door opened. He took me out, and I could see that He was pleased with His work. He handed me a mirror and told me to look at myself. I did, and I said, "That's not me. It couldn't be me. I am so shiny and beautiful."
Then He said to me, "I want you to know that I had to roll and pat you to shape your. If I had left you, then you would have dried up. And I know the wheel made you dizzy and sick, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurt and was hot and dsagreeable in the baking oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed you and then painted you all over, but you see if I hadn't don that, you would never have hardened. And, if I hadn't put you in the second oven, you would not have survived for very long, you would have been brittle. NOW YOU ARE A FINISHED PRODUCT! YOU ARE WHAT I HAD IN MIND WHEN I FIRST BEGAN WITH YOU AS A LUMP OF CLAY."
No comments:
Post a Comment