Jars of Clay

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“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.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:7‬

Yeah… that’s about right. Don’t you feel as fragile as a clay jar at times? So many of us do. So I want to share with you some things I learned from Chrystal Evans Hurst. “Trials bring out the treasure in us.”

We are in a state of tension right now. Chrystal taught that many times when we are dealing with tension, we are trying to remain hopeful about the other side of the difficulty we are walking through, while at the same time having to deal with the daily “real stuff.” We think, “If God is good, why didn’t He answer my prayer the way I wanted Him to. Why did He let that bad thing happen?”

“Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:12‬

I know it’s not what any of us want to hear, but the struggles are doing something in us. Through our struggles, God will bring out the hope of glory and sanctification in us. The treasure in the jars of clay. There is something He sees in us that only hardship and affliction brings out.

We have the capacity to shine. We hold within us the power of God.

Because we live in a broken world, we can expect to go through hardship, but isn’t it interesting how we so often act surprised? Remember, this world is temporary, and so are these trials. The good news is, God can bring light to shine out of the dark places.

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3:20‬ ‭NLT‬‬


It’s hard to think beyond the tension, but we can have joy in the hope that there is something beyond it.


“For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭30:5‬ ‭


Chrystal poses the question, “When will joy come?”


In the morning.


For many of us, this is a season of darkness, but we know, the light, the morning, always follows the dark night.


Joy will come.

 

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