I have a vase,
Hand crafted by an artist
This is a very unique vase
I’m sure you’ve never seen one like it
It is orange and has various, different colored roses
baked into the pottery on the outside of the vase
I first saw this vase at least 2 decades ago
It belonged to someone else
It belonged to a friend who had many beautiful things
Her lovely décor is filled with amazing and wonderful pieces
She is very wealthy
She also grows tired of these things that she accumulates
and she passes them along
That is how I got the vase
When she grew tired of it, she decided to pass it along to me,
remembering that I had always loved it
She wrapped it in beautiful paper
and gave it to me as a Christmas gift one year
I could not help but be glad to see this vase
I did have mixed feelings though
Should it be a gift, such as a Christmas gift?
When I examined it more closely,
I found large chunks of accumulated dust on each pedal of the roses,
I cleaned those off with a q-tip, carefully
I also noticed a chip at the bottom
My friend may or may not have forgotten about that
I never asked her, although I was tempted to do so
I admired the artist and the ability she had to create this lovely piece
Her signature is on the bottom,
along with a sticker that says Made in England
It is simply lovely
I still adore the vase
I recognize the talent the artist had,
the uniqueness in her abilities and thought process
The dust still is a memory I have, and the chip,
which you would never see unless you knew
or were cleaning it for some reason
I was telling another friend about my feelings quite some time ago
and he quoted a proverb to me:
It is the glory of a man not to find offense:
The discretion of a man deferreth his anger;
and it is his glory to pass over a transgression. Psalm 19:11
I read the proverbs often, but had never noticed that one before
It was fitting
I told him I was tempted to mention to her the dust and the chip
which is why he quoted the proverb
so I could learn something and consider overlooking the offense
Foolish flesh
The memories are a part of the vase now
I’m not quite sure how to shake them
I have forgiven and tried to understand that her intentions were the best
I know the vase wasn’t cheap and it went to a very good home
I have tried to resist the feelings
that she didn’t bother to clean it before she gave it to me
and how the second-hand idea is not an insult
How we have no way to see what is inside another person’s heart
and we are encouraged to believe in love
Love bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things and it never fails
This little vase causes me to examine my own heart
To overlook an offense that was not intentional, and to forgive,
to not read anything into it that was not meant
Even if it was careless to give that gift without checking it, to just let it go
The little vase had its dirt and imperfections, just like us, just like we do
and Jesus takes us, to cleanse the dross and repairs us
or leaves the scars and uses them later for His glory,
maybe to strengthen us, maybe to help others to feel accepted
even though they aren’t perfect
That vase is a greater gift which was not realized at first
My friend has not yet given her life to Jesus
She goes about her life in the best way she can, trying to be a good person without noticing that she has dust accumulated
that only God can see as He is the one who made her
and she, like all of us, has repairs that need to be made by our Savior
When I see that vase, I still love it much more
than the negative things about it that I have mentioned
I remember to forgive,
and I try to forget the seemingly unimportant things, the dust, the chip
I pray for my friend who does not realize in her human goodness,
that she has not yet been cleansed by our Savior and still needs to be
Peter saith unto Him, Thou shalt never wash my feet.
Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me. John 13:8
Jesus can make us pure and holy in His sight
Our goodness without Him means nothing
It is only His cleansing, sanctifying and renewing,
removing the yucky dust and remedying the chips, or not
Sometimes He leaves imperfections
so we can accept that we are just mortals with imperfections
And above all things have fervent love for one another,
for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8
Scriptural References:
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
1 Corinthians 13:7
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9