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| Raku vase by Betty Parquette: 1978-79 |
I recently returned from a much needed retreat in the
Northeast. A dear friend asked me to come with her to a place which has brought
the quiet she needed to better hear God’s voice and direction. As I had been
preparing for a pro-life talk for a large group of people, I thought this would
be a good opportunity for me to get away, gather my thoughts, and to pray about
just what God wanted me to say.
The retreat center was tucked away within farmland, hills,
and woods. Beautiful, quiet, soothing, morning and evening prayer, and daily
mass , were just some of the beautiful gifts which God had in store for us. It
was on a little stroll just at the edge of the woods however that grabbed my
attention. Here, just off the path was a cross adorned with broken pieces of
Raku pottery shards. The cross was shrewdly made with what looked like two aged
pieces of barn wood about 4 feet in height; the pottery either attached or
thrown about the foot of the cross as it rested against an old tree.
I was startled by this seemingly odd view in front of me. My
mind immediately flew back decades, back to the late 1970’s. I was in my
pottery class in high school; an aspiring artist. We were learning about Raku
potter, a form of firing the clay in which the end product, carbon is fused
into the piece. I had created a dome shaped piece, with the image of Galadriel
(J.R.R Tolkien, Lord of the Rings) central to it, resulting in what I thought
was a beautiful image to be hung on the wall. I loved working with clay, the
technique of Raku, and this piece of art in particular. Of all of my artwork,
this was the item I carried with me and displayed wherever I lived…until about
10 years later.
After high school, my life changed quite drastically (see
previous articles) as I let go of the morals and values with which I had been
brought up. I was a lonely, fearful child, teen, and now in my twenties, the
fear was ten-fold as the choices I had made sent me spiraling in depression and
hopelessness. Broken relationship after
broken relationship left me with a sense of worthlessness. And here I was,
standing in front of a rugged cross with all of those shards, but in my mind I
was standing in front of a dumpster.
Yet another broken relationship, moving all of my
belongings, all my valuables, and I see myself holding that piece of Raku
pottery adorned with the beautiful Galadriel. It seemed as if I was the only
person who could see its value…its beauty. No one else seemed to appreciate
what I had created, a piece of art which came from my heart as an extension of
myself. I can still see it, tossed, lying broken now in the dumpster, seeing
myself there, wondering if anyone did or ever would care for me.
In my hind-sight I can see the many ways God has brought
healing to me, healing to the core. I see how each year, each day, within each
relationship he has been restoring me, reclaiming me as the potter reclaims the
clay; nothing is ever wasted. It was no accident that I just happened onto this
little scene just in the woods. The Raku pottery shards, reminiscent of my own
pottery which I had thrown into the dumpster, all around the foot of the cross
and adorning it’s outstretched arms was a vivid reminder to me that I had not
been abandoned; not discarded by God, and that I had infinite value to Him. A
beautiful reminder that the Eternal Potter had saved me and made me new; is
continuing to make me into something far more beautiful than I could ever have
imagined.
No, it was no coincidence. It was a God incident. As I said,
I went on the retreat to clear my thoughts, to hear what it was God wanted me
to say, as I make my story of redemption (being reclaimed) known. As He knows
me intimately, He knew I would see in the image of the cross and shards, just
how far He has brought me, and just how far He wants to bring each and every
one of us.
God knows the
language of your heart, and He knows you intimately. Every pain, every joy, and
every memory. He will use ALL that you give Him for your good. Are you
watching…listening with the ear of your heart? Can you be open to see all that
He puts before you…or just off of your path but in your sight? Your memories
and experiences are unique to you, so how He will speak will be a love note…a
whisper of love, just for you.
Give Him your shards, your broken memories. Give Him everything about yourself; your past, and your present; all which you think worthless. He wants it all. You
are His treasure. The Master Potter will make all things new. He will make all
of us new.
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