We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. —2 Corinthians 4:7
In 2011 a massive earthquake and tsunami took nearly 19,000 lives and destroyed 230,000 homes in northeastern Japan. In its aftermath, The Nozomi Project, named for the Japanese word for “hope,” was created to provide sustainable income, community, and dignity—plus hope in a God who provides. Nozomi women sift through the rubble to discover broken china shards that they turn into jewelry, which is sold around the world. This provides a livelihood for the women and shares symbols of their faith in Christ. In New Testament times, people hid valuables in simple clay pots. Paul describes how the treasure of the gospel is contained in the human frailty of followers of Christ: jars of clay (2 Corinthians 4:7). He suggests that the meager—and even broken—vessels of our lives can reveal God’s power in contrast to our imperfections. When God inhabits the imperfect and broken pieces in our lives, the healing hope of His power is often made visible. No, His repair work in our hearts doesn’t hide our imperfections. But perhaps those etchings in our beings make His character more visible to others.
-Elis
Dear Lord, during these hopeless times, when all around me seems to bleak, help me to nurture my hope in you. Let your life-giving hope give rise to faith in my heart, the kind of faith that assures me that all you do for me is good, in Jesus Name ~Amen
