"But we have this treasure in clay jars..."
What happens when the clay jars are too broken to hold the treasure?
What if one wave after another has knocked the clay jars over time and again
And there's nothing left that is strong enough to stand?
What if we strip away the smiles we hide behind
The pretence of laughter
The outer layers of a rose-coloured, picture-perfect world...
What if after all the tears have been shed
After all the nights of crying out, "God, deliver us"
After all the questioning and doubt
After all the words have been said
What if all that's left is a very raw sense of pain?
"But we have this treasure in clay jars..."
What happens when the clay jars are too broken to hold the treasure?
What if one wave after another has knocked the clay jars over time and again
And there's nothing left that is strong enough to stand?
What if we all just got along
What if we never had to say goodbye
What if innocent children didn't have to suffer
What if...
What if we simply stopped pretending
No more "she'll be right"
No more "it's all good"
No more "I'm fine"
Will we get through it?
Or will we run away from that very raw sense of pain?
"But we have this treasure in clay jars..."
What happens when the clay jars are too broken to hold the treasure?
What if one wave after another has knocked the clay jars over time and again
And there's nothing left that is strong enough to stand?
What if love isn't the answer
Or what if love has run out of strength to hold on
What if love no longer has patience to wait for healing
Or what if love means letting go
Will the very raw sense of pain be too much?
"But we have this treasure in clay jars..."
What happens when the clay jars are too broken to hold the treasure?
What if one wave after another has knocked the clay jars over time and again
And there's nothing left that is strong enough to stand?
What if all we have left to live on is simply the prayers of a scattered community
What if we find ourselves on our knees, face to the ground
What if morning and evening, we can only cry, "Lord, have mercy"
Will we make it?
But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from 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; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.
- 2 Corinthians 4:7-12
What if we simply lived on the prayers of the scattered community
What if we simply get on our knees with our face to the ground
What if we simply cried out morning and evening, "Lord, have mercy"
What if that's enough?
"For we have this treasure in clay jars..."
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