Clay in the Hands

What is your most prized possession?  For some it might be something received for a great achievement.  I am sure those who will receive a Grammy Award in a couple of weeks might say receiving a Grammy is the pinnacle of their career.

For others, it might be something inherited.  Many years ago, my grandmother passed away and one of the things I received was a small paring knife.  I remember watching my grandmother peel potatoes with that knife.  It sits in the drawer of my desk and I use it nearly daily as a letter opener.  I would count that knife as a prized possession.

Each and every one of us has prized possessions – those things we hold dear and would not want to lose.  And there is nothing wrong with having those things in our lives.  The key is remembering that it is fine to have those possessions as long as we don’t allow those possessions to have us.

At the heart of our relationship with God is a healthy understanding of who God is in relation to who we are.  When we give greater importance to things in our lives than we do to God, then what we are really doing is making our own desires for significance and standing more important than God.

It happens subtly and slowly.  Over time, our attitude toward things and acquiring more things, breeds within us a sense of independence and a false sense of security.  Our grip on things becomes so tight we can’t even imagine life any other way.  But the terrifying reality is the grip those things begin to have on us.

We need to remember that our hope is misplaced when it is placed in anything but God and his grace.  When we remember this, we experience sincere liberty and freedom in knowing only God matters.  Our most prized possession becomes our relationship with the everlasting creator.

So today, remember who holds all in his hands and place your trust fully in him!

Be blessed!