In God’s Many-Splendored Image, Sr. Nonna Verna Harrison expounds on the writings of the desert fathers and mothers to help us better understand our divine imprint. She writes that Gregory of Nyssa in the 4th century “compares the human person to a jar that can hold a variety of things. We choose among things outside us and take them into ourselves, using them to fashion what we will become.”

She continues with Gregory’s proclaimed sense of purpose held within our freedom of choice: “When we choose wisely, we receive God into ourselves. Since God is infinite and we are finite, we can only receive a limited amount of divine life. The life we receive fills us to capacity and at the same time increases the size of the jar, So we can reach out to God and receive still more, again and again. Thus, when we unceasingly long for God, we are always satisfied yet always strive for more. In this process, our freedom cooperates continually with God’s grace.”  

Can you imagine what your divine jar might look like to God? And consider how His continual shaping of the jar is impacted by your choices?

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:7-9).

In our heads we know that we belong to Him, and that our circumstances are ultimately controlled by Him. In our hearts, we sometimes run into resistance in our ability to trust that His working all things out is actually for our good. Our freedom lies in our choice of response to our circumstances, doesn’t it? We decide whether our clay jars remain malleable in His hands or become bitter and brittle. 

The list of unwanted circumstances can seem endless. Travel delays. Team conflict. Culture shock. Lack of fruit in ministry. Marriage tensions. Parenting questions. Singleness challenges. Low support. 

What if we viewed the unwanted as invitations for our jars to expand by receiving more divine life?  

Dear sister 

Don’t allow results 

That aren’t the desired ones 

To write a premature ending to your story 

There’s more 

For you 

To press forward for 

Perseverance and purpose 

Await 

Our divine jars