I readily confess to you, dear readers, I am not the person I once was.  This realization is not the result of identity theft nor of an identity crisis.  It is the result of transformation over time which has taken place at the hands of the Master Potter.

The question was put to me, “Who are you?”  So many ways to answer that question – how do I define myself?  by my job title? by my relationships? by my achievements? by my possessions?  Who am I?

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

What can I say?  Who am I?  I am an orphan, now adopted.  I am the fatherless, now a daughter of the King of Creation, my Heavenly Father.  I am the rejected, now chosen and set apart.  I am a beggar, now made rich – I am the lame no longer limping.  I am a captive, now set free.

I am a wayward wanderer, now welcomed home at last.  I am an outcast, now accepted.  I am the nameless, now known by name.  I am the weak, now made strong. I am the weary, now renewed.  I am a leper, now fully cleansed.  I am a criminal, now fully pardoned.  I am a debtor whose debt has been paid in full.  I am a sinner, now fully forgiven – a sinner transformed into a saint through the pain of the Potter’s wheel.  I am the wearer of filthy rags, now clothed in the white robe of my Redeemer’s righteousness.

I am an empty vessel, now full.  I am the sick, now made well.  I am the blind, now given sight.  I am the unseen, now seen – the voiceless now heard – the misunderstood, now fully comprehended.  I am the lost, now found.  I am a desert dweller, mercifully maintained by the miracle of manna new every morning.  I am the thirsty, allowed to drink from the Living Water.  I am a heart transplant recipient, the stony-hearted given a new heart of flesh in a life saving operation.

I am the directionless, now given purpose – the hopeless, now filled with hope.  I am the despairing, now joyfully overflowing.  I am the mourning, now dancing -the weeping, now singing.  I am a fool, given wisdom – a rebel granted grace.  I am the proud, now learning humility – the deceitful now learning to speak only truth. I am a coward learning courage.  I am the selfish, learning generosity.  I am the careless, learning how to care for others.

I am a stumbling block turned into a stepping stone.  I am a would be master turned into a willing servant.  I am a renegade turned into a faithful follower.  I am the discouraged, learning how to persevere.  I am one who does evil learning to do good.  I am one who hates, learning to love.

I am a rule follower and a lawbreaker – now a relationship pursuer and a lover of the laws of God.

I am a doubter learning to trust, I am a sojourner headed home to heaven.  I am one who walks by sight, now learning to walk with eyes of faith.  I am the repentant, the rescued, the redeemed, the reconciled, the restored, the renewed child of my Heavenly Father.  I am counted, I am called.  I am known, I am named.  I am called by name, just like every star He holds in its place.

I am the clay on the Master Potter’s wheel.  I am a work in progress.

I am the least of these.  and yet  

“He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us (me) all things?”  (Romans 8:32)

I am the least of these.  and yet 

“God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever (me) believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  (John 3:16)

I am the least of these.  and yet  . . .   God says to me,

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”  (Jeremiah 31:3)

I am the least of these.  and yet   . . .

and yet there is a story told in Matthew and in Luke about a man who owns one hundred sheep and one of them goes missing. This man pursues his sheep, finds it and brings it safely home to be with the rest of the flock.  (I guess 99% isn’t good enough for him?)  Then we read,

“In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.”  (Matthew 18:14)   and we read,

“I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”  (Luke 15:7)  (I guess God isn’t satisfied with 99% either)

I am the least of these.  and yet  

“He (the Lord) is patient with you, (me) not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”  (2 Peter 3:9)

Who am I?  I am the clay on the Potter’s wheel, being fashioned day by day into a vessel for His use.  I am the jar of clay with the priceless treasure of His Holy Spirit living inside of me.

I am the least of these,  and yet   . . .   God says,

“Since you are precious and honored in My sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.”  (Isaiah 43:4)

and that’s just what God did, He sent Jesus to die on the cross in exchange for me –

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”  (John 15:13)

and that’s just what Jesus did – my identity is secure in Christ.

sincerely,      Grace Day