Vessel by Robin Densmore Fuson

 

Daily, I take essential oils. I keep them in an amber colored glass dropper bottle. One day, I held the bottle in my hand and it slipped, crashing onto the tile floor. Expensive oils rushed out. I grabbed the broken bottle, saved an inch that remained in the bottom, and poured it into a fresh bottle. Thank the Lord, I had one. On the floor, glass chips and shards mingled with the spilled oil. What a mess.

My husband, Jimmy, helped me clean up the slippery and sharp muddle. Then he disappeared. On my hands and knees, drying the now clean floor, I didn’t know where he went. Being proactive, he took the extra bottle and encompassed it with duct tape.

Now the sleek design was covered in a silvery bulky padding of protection.

Kind of ugly but practical. Fibromyalgia and neck issues have caused paralysis in my left hand. The weakened appendage is sometimes clumsy. His ingenuity has possibly diverted another disaster. Thank you, honey.

The protection saves the contents of the jar.

Many people see themselves as fragile or inadequate. They don’t want people to see their real self. Wearing a mask, covering, and sometimes a thick padded exterior. They think, if people knew of their past, those people wouldn’t like them. What if people know of their shortcomings or faults? What if people saw what they think is a lack of… you name it.

They put a protective shell over them, not letting anyone see their true self.

Everyone has a lack or shortcoming because no one is perfect. We all make mistakes. We all have things in our past we wish we could forget.

When I look at my jar of oil, I see a padded mess of strips of duct tape. But I know what is underneath the padding. An amber colored jar that houses essential oils for me. Essential. I need them. They are precious to me.

When God looks at us, He sees His precious child. He sees the wonderfully made person He created. He sees the uniqueness of each individual. The Essential part of the person, the soul and spirit. He knows the past, present, and future of His created child. He loves that person so much that He sent His Son to die for each one of His creation.

God doesn’t wait until the person thinks of themselves as fulfilled or wealthy or accomplished. He wants the person the way they are. Then, when they come to Him and accept Jesus Christ’s payment for their sin, He adopts them into his family.

Then, if we let Him, He helps us grow and unwrap the covering we’ve put around us so we can let people in and see our true selves in confidence. We see ourselves the way He sees us as purchased, forgiven, unique, beautiful, complete, His child, a prince or princess, a masterpiece, chosen, loved, a saint, holy, and so much more. We are so much more. We become His vessel to be used to help others become who God wants them to be.

Strip off the weight that puts a barrier around us. Be transparent and accessible. Most importantly, remember we are wonderfully made.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it (Psalm 139:14 nlt).

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves (2Corinthins 4:7 nlt).

For more of who you are in Christ, Ephesians Chapter 1-3 is a great reference for these. and here is the link to the start of the video series.

Who You Are in Christ Series