There was a couple who went to England to celebrate their anniversary and to shop in a quaint antique store. They both liked antiques and pottery, especially tea cups.
Spotting an exceptional cup, they asked, “May we see that? We’ve never seen a cup quite so beautiful.”
As the lady handed it to them, the tea cup spoke.
“You don’t understand,” said the tea cup, “I have not always been a tea cup. There was a time when I was just a lump of red clay. My master took me and rolled me pounded and patted me over and over and I yelled out, ‘Don’t do that. I don’t like it! Let me alone,’ but he only smiled, and gently said, ‘Not yet!’
“Then, I was placed on a spinning wheel and spun around and around. ‘Stop it! I’m getting so dizzy! I’m going to be sick!’, I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, quietly, ‘Not yet.’
“He spun me and poked and prodded and bent me out of shape to suit himself and then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I yelled and pounded at the door. ‘Help! Get me out of here!’ I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head from side to side, ‘Not yet.’
“When I thought I couldn’t bear it another minute, the door opened. He carefully took me out and put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. ‘Oh, that felt so good! Ah, this is much better,’ I thought. But, after I cooled he picked me up and he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. ‘Oh, please; stop it!’ I cried. He only shook his head and said. ‘Not yet!’
“Then suddenly he put me back in to the oven. Only it was not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I just knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. I was convinced I would never make it. I was ready to give up.
“Just then the door opened and he took me out and again placed me on the shelf, where I cooled and waited, wondering, What’s he going to do to me next? An hour later he handed me a mirror and said ‘Look at yourself.’ And I did.
“I said, ‘That’s not me; that couldn’t be me. It’s beautiful. I’m beautiful!’
“Quietly he spoke: ‘I know it hurt to be rolled and pounded and patted, but had I just left you alone, you’d have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurt and it was hot in the oven, but if I hadn’t put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I painted you, but if I hadn’t done that, you never would have hardened. You would not have had any color in your life. If I hadn’t put you back in that second oven, you wouldn’t have survived for long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. Now you are what I had in mind when I first began with you.'”
God knows what He’s doing in each of us. He is the potter, and we are His clay. He will mold us and make us, and expose us to just enough that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing and perfect will.
So when life seems hard, and you are being pounded and pushed almost beyond endurance; when your world seems to be spinning out of control; when you feel like you are in a fiery furnace of trials; when life seems to stink, try this…
Brew a cup of your favorite tea in your prettiest tea cup, sit down, and have a little talk with the Potter.
thanks and Bless you it encourage me when I’m in hard time. My Potter is God. Praise you Lord
Thank u Lord for being my potter and i being your clay. Mould me and make me as per thy will…. I’m still waiting for you.
It is so helpful, thank you for sharing. God bless
And you know, he doesn’t mind it when we rant and storm and scream. He just goes ahead doing what it is he set out to do. So we would be sparing ourselves loads of headache if we could just relax and trust that the finished product will be nothing but PERFECT. Thanks for sharing.GBU.
He is really a potter and has made us this.We have to continue looking after ourselves so that we don’t go off from his mighty hands or we will break.
Thnks bro.
The Lord is still working on me. Lord help me to hold out until my change comes.
This story reminds me so much about Romans 8: 28
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Good to have this again. The Sunday School lesson for this week centres around the theme “when hope is tried”. This tea cup resembles the experience of Job especially in Job chapter Seven. He lost hope at that particular moment, but just as he thought he could no longer forbear, reprieve came his way. Kindly remember the tea cup when it seemed over for you in a particular situation. OR just remember someone with whom you have shared the joy of breakthrough after delay or despondency. God can do much more…EVEN FOR YOU! Shalom.
He is an awesome God, He will never let you down. Currently am swimming in an ocean with a storm of problems and having read this message I believe that He will never take you anywhere or having challenges without provision of resources.
Wow! what an inspiration? It has truly blessed me and taught me to be more perseverance.
A wonderful message indeed. I wish i should also be like that beuatiful teacup. If that is the way God makes us, i think i should pray to have such patience in live so that i may be like that.
Just as the tea cup, life is REALLY hard to understand and live accordingly. when ever i try to live a life as per god’s will i can only stay for 1 or 2 days, and then i again fall in to my old character…… each and every day i am trying, trying, trying! something will make me go wild either i losse patience, cannot control my anger etc.
I hope and pray one day that i can make my lord jesus HAPPY…
All the best to “All worship.com”
Take me, mold me, use me, fill me
I give my life to the potter’s hand…
Call me, guide me, lead me, walk beside me
I give my life to the potter’s hand…
Thank u for the story, i wish I will be patient enough in the hand of my potter God to be able
to mold me to His taste and purpose in life. that is my wish.
i am richly blessed with the tea, now i am who am i because of my creator.
God bless you richly! So deep, so rich!
What a sweet story, thank you for sharing on your site.
so touching and life changing story.
Thank you all worship team
A beautiful illustration of how the Lord prepares us to serve him. I resemble the tea cup. It was a beautiful thing when the purpose of affliction became clear and I realized it was for my (own) good but to God’s eternal glory.
I was really blessed by the tea cup. its on target .love it
An inspiring message indeed.
Awesome, I love the story. It shows that our maker is all perfect and is never too busy for us. He continues to pound and pat us according to his mighty plan. I am blessed.
Thank You, Lord, for You are my Potter Who made me a clay so that You can mold me into the being that You want me to be. Great message!