In weakness or trial or pain

"Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?"
-Romans 9:21

I'm just jumping right into this blog, no? Well, I read this in my devotional a few days ago...and I wrote "Romans 9:20" on my hand just so I could go look it up later without having to go all the way downstairs to get my bible. But now I have it!
So it seems to me that the analogy of God being "The Potter" occurs rather frequently in the bible.
Something I like about this verse...it says "Does not the potter have the right..."
Does not the potter have the RIGHT?
Sure we've heard about women's rights and African American rights or whatever. But God having RIGHTS? He has the RIGHT to anything He wants!
And you know when people say "What gives you the right?"
Like psht get over yourself, chica.
But I think sometimes I ask God that EXACT question. "God, what gives you the right to put me through this CRAP? I thought you loved me!"
And I'm called back to "Desert Song" (like Sonia, who has EXTREMELY good taste in music)
there's the CRAZY awesome stanza/lines/thingy-thing:

And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
of more worth than gold
so refine me Lord through the flames

I think it's technically a stanza.
So I may not know a whole lot about pottery, but those kiln things (kiln? is that correct?) get pretty dang hot! Like so hot that some pieces of art explode.
Not the point. Exploding pottery is not the point! It has to get reeaaalllyyy hot for the pottery to keep its shape and painting or whatever. Again, don't know too much. Ask Elijah about ceramics and he'll tell ya.
Like the potter can only mold the clay so much before it's put in the fire. It's not pretty yet. It's a little weird looking, actually.
Or like gold! It can't be molded unless hot.
And it says for common use. You may not be called to be a glamarous preacher. You may just be the fire-fighter that saves the baby that grows up to clean the church of this crazy amazing pastor. Crazy to think about, right?
You may be a vase that holds flowers. Or you may be some kinda pinch pot that sits on your mom's dresser and holds her rings. Back to the molding.
Again, I'm not a ceramics-master. Or jewelry-master. All I know is the work that's been done in me through the fire! And my fire isn't even too bad. It may be bad for me, but it'll be worth it, ya know?
Why be an ugly piece of clay for your whole life when you can be a beautiful piece of pottery after a few times of trial?
I think I should make a list of things to tell myself when I get upset. Because I fight these battles to win, then end up doing the same thing over and over again.
Isn't that the definition of insanity? Doing the exact same thing repeatedly and expecting different results?
I think I'll just leave it at that.

Can I just say that it's been a long day? First day of school makes me thing of new, white knee-socks and never-been-written-in notebooks. Not seeing your crazy-stalker and being brutally grazed by a religion-argumentative teenage boy.
AND being convinced that everyone in your guitar II class wants to hurt you, except for your brother's weird creepy friend that nobody really seems to understand.
That's about it.
I think I'll say something about Paanii, just so Morgan can tell him and I'll find out about it later.
I'll just say that he's rather funny when talking about sensitive issues.
Leave it at that.

I love you all.
-LL
26. Learn how to tie a bow-tie (as a girl, yeah, I know)

oh p.s.! We had to describe ourselves in pre-calc (yeah, math. doing english . ...huh?) with one word. Without even thinking, I put lovely.
I'd like to give you the definition of lovely! Just some food for thought. I'd give you a penny for your thoughts, but, well, it's a recession.
And I don't just call myself lovely to toot my own horn or whatever. It's what God thinks of all of his daughters.

love⋅ly

–adjective

1.	charmingly or exquisitely beautiful: a lovely flower.

2.	having a beauty that appeals to the heart or mind as well as to the eye, as a person or a face.

3.	delightful; highly pleasing

4.	of a great moral or spiritual beauty.