“Always buy the most hideous house in the neighborhood, so at least you won’t have to look at it.” – Unknown
I guess in this generation we spend way too much time watching television. If you are a tv person you can get the idea that everyone is twenty-something and gorgeous. Trying sitting in the back of church (or looking in a mirror) to get a dose of reality.
I like sitting in the back of church. I do it not just so I can slip out if the sermon is a bit weak or if nature calls (as it seems to do more frequently as I age.) I guess I enjoy seeing all the earthen vessels. The longer I am a member the more I know the stories inside those vessels, and the more I am blessed.
Most of us are not twenty-something and our beauty pageant days are way behind us, if they ever existed at all. But that’s all just part of God’s plan. From the day of our birth these earthen vessels are starting to deteriorate. Our society’s frantic attempts to slow or prevent that decay is just more evidence of our of lack of acceptance that this is not our home and our stay here is temporary.
But our bodies are not who we are. We are terrible in our people judgment based on how they appear. This morning I watched a heartwarming story of an autistic child who was harassed at a Mardi Gras parade because of her appearance. She was harassed by drunk teenagers. I wonder how they appeared.
More than once, after giving a talk at a Kairos meeting, a resident has told me he was shocked by how good the talk was. “I didn’t expect that coming from you.” All that was known about me was how I appear.
We need to stop judging each other by the earthen vessels we inhabit. We also need to stop being refrained from doing what we are called to do because of the appearance of our vessel.
If we spent half as much time doing His work as we do polishing the vessel, our satisfaction would multiple.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7.
So if your jar isn’t of TV quality, rejoice. All that shines from it clearly comes from above.
Shine without polish and be blessed.
Nick
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