I spent majority of my morning crocheting in the lobby next to a fire, if that isn’t the definition of perfect, I’m not sure what is.
I felt the Lord telling me to go to the cheese and pottery place I passed by on my way here; that yellow sign caught my eye and I couldn’t contain the excitement that there was a shop that sold cheese AND pottery.
I gathered my things, got into my car and drove into town to explore this amazing shop.
The shop was dainty, yellow, and perfect in its own way. There was a garden and a perfect little porch with the “Yellow Branch Pottery and Cheese” sign in front.
When I walked in I noticed to my right was all the finished pottery for sale and some cheese samples and to my left was a studio where Karen made all of her pottery.
I walked through and inspected each unfinished piece while Karen and I shared conversation about work, missions, Jesus, life, and pottery.
We talked, laughed, shared stories, and ate cheese. She gave me tips and tricks on different ways to make pottery and showed me all of her collections. I asked questions and she gave answers.
It was the perfect Saturday afternoon.
After buying a perfectly imperfect mug and some delicious cheese, I left feeling full and satisfied.
Thank you Jesus was all my heart was able to muster up to say; there were no words that needed to be exchanged, my smile, posture, and giddiness said it all.
She’s selling me one of her pottery wheels for goodness sake!
How could I not be excited?
On the drive back I noticed some pit stops to view an overlook of the lake. After passing two, I knew I needed to stop because my car was going the direction of my eyes… which was not the road.
I placed myself on a bench closest to the drop off and gave myself permission to breath and take in the barren trees, the beautiful lake, the smell, the cold air, and said “thank you Jesus” because once again, it was all my heart was able to muster up to say.
“Andrea, go back and see Karen, pray for her shoulder,” He whispered.
Fear came over me when I heard His words; but what will she think? Wouldn’t it be weird for me to go back 15 minutes later just to pray?
And then I remembered the cry of my heart is never to please or submit to man, but to please and submit to my Father. That I long to be available and show people love in the way that He loves them.
I got back into my car and drove back to the beautiful, yellow shop that brought me so much joy.
Her eyes lit up when she saw me and I explained to her why I came, “can I pray for your shoulder? You mentioned while we were talking that it hurt, and I believe the Lord wants to heal it.”
“Of course you can!” She said enthusiastically, and then walked back to what she was originally doing. She stared back at me and said,” oh… right now? Well okay.”
To make a long story short, her shoulder got healed and so did her coworkers back. We hugged, said our goodbyes, and went back to the day ahead of us.
I left that place feeling a little bothered;
Don’t get me wrong, I was so thankful to have been a vessel and Jesus’s example, and I spent a long time after thanking Him over and over for being so good and showing up when my biggest fear is that he wouldn’t.
But what bothered me was why I don’t do it more often.
What bothered me was her response before I prayed, “oh, right now?”
Did we become a culture that says we’ll pray for them and once the busyness of the day gets the best of us, we forget? How come we’re okay with that? Why has it become so abnormal to pray right then and there?
If our lives are supposed to resemble Christ, then why don’t we look to His example and do what He does?
This blog isn’t to point a finger, I’m preaching to myself too, I’m just calling it what it is- laziness and fear.
If you have a job like mine that requires a lot of computer task, talking to answering machines, and you see very little fruit, maybe to avoid getting dry and burnt out you and I need to get out of our comfort zone and focus on the needs around us, the people in front of us.
Hug a stranger, pray for the sick, be the hands and feet of Jesus where you are, walk out on the limb of faith, and step out in something that can only happen through the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.
You don’t need to go on a mission trip to experience Him, it can happen right outside your front door, down the road, in your neighborhood, across the street, or in my case at a potters house.
Christ followers, we have His Spirit in us, let’s not become a lazy generation that becomes okay and complacent with the things happening around us.
There’s a need, there’s always a need.
People need what we have, people need to see the Jesus in us.
It’s not His heart for us to hoard what we know and have.
He wants radical followers that will do whatever it takes to give away and see the freedom He offers break out in the streets everywhere, but it starts with one, and then another, and then another.
Step out onto uncomfortable terrain and see the supernatural happen here on earth.
It’s what sets us a part from the rest of the world.
