Cracked Pots
Being an “authentic Christian” is one of those catch phrases that I have often wondered about. A few years ago it seemed that everywhere I looked there was something to read about how to “authentically live the Christian life.” It is not a phrase that is used in the scriptures and though I understood what people were talking about at the time it just seemed like something that was more about pretenders than real Christians.
On Saturday night I had a conversation with a sister in the Lord and NOW I think I get it. Our conversation never used the word “authentic” but for the first time I think that I got a good understanding of this authenticity that God wants us to live. It is certainly for every Christian.
Philippians 1:9 – 11 says, And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
The Greek word that is translated “pure” in the ESV and “sincere” in the NASB comes from a word that reportedly was used in the first century to describe pottery that appeared to have no cracks. Apparently if a potter made a clay pot with a crack he would fill the crack with wax so that the crack was invisible. A wise shopper would hold the piece in his hands to warm it up and melt the wax before buying. A sincere or pure piece of pottery had no wax; it was seen as it was, even if there were cracks.
The “crack” for my friend was some abusive trauma as a child that she has tried to stuff as deeply as possible into the darkness. She didn’t want any light to shine on it because she didn’t want anyone else to see it….until she realized that living “sincerely” requires living in the Light of Christ where there’s no place to hide. Not cracks, not anything. She realized it requires a great deal of emotional energy to keep the wax from melting, energy that could be used more constructively if we just let the crack be seen.
Cracks in pots come from living life. They are unavoidable in a world where sin exists – ours and that of others. The good news is that the crack does not render us useless or undesirable. If we allow our gracious God to be glorified through the way we respond to them and learn from them, He gets glorified. Whenever God is glorified it will also be for the good of a person, maybe us, maybe someone we minister to for God.
As my friend and I talked what I came to understand is that God does not want us to be like a waxed pot with hidden cracks. He isn’t even expecting us to throw out the cracked part of our pots– just be authentic and admit there is a crack. He loves us even with them.