Pottery and Hedges

Anywhere and everywhere we may dwell "with the King for His work." We may be in a very unlikely or unfavorable place for this; it may be in a literal country life, with little enough to be seen of the "goings" of the King around us; it may be among hedges of all sorts, hindrances in all directions; it may be furthermore, with our hands full of all manner of pottery for our daily task. No matter! The King who placed us "there" will come and dwell there with us; the hedges are all right, or He would soon do away with them; and it does not follow that what seems to hinder our way may not be for its very protection; and as for the pottery, why, that is just exactly what he has seen fit to put into our hands, and therefore it is, for the present, "His work."
~Frances Ridley Havergal

These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work. I Chronicles 4:21

After I painted, I was moving a cupboard back and I went through the "pottery" on the shelves. Jeff took a pottery class in college and we received sweet handmade pieces for Christmas that year. When we got married, it was the late seventies and many people were choosing earthy dishes for their homes. I chose flowery stuff, but I did like all the homemade looking pots and cups. I remember the big iron sink in our tiny rented house, right next door to the high school where we built relationships with teenagers. I washed all my wedding gifts and looked out the window at the school parking lot. Many of those dishes are long since broken or given away, but I still handle a good amount of "pottery" as I go about my days. The hedges? One gigantic hedge was going back to college at forty-five. I felt so alone there and more academically challenged than ever before. I found answers and direction, small but important. When I tell people I teach middle school, they often comment, "Wow, I admire you. That's a hard age." It's definitely hedge work. They are so wobbly, so fearful, so quick to make inappropriate comments. But, I'm thankful to have a little opportunity to "mold the clay" even if it is just one year in a lifetime of travel years, in a lifetime that may hold more pain and difficulty than victories and encouragement. I like to think that in heaven, we'll feel very satisfied as we handle pottery or busy ourselves in the hedges. We will be free from the pressures to "stand out" or "produce more" and we'll linger in the warmth of our Creator and that will be enough.