The call of God can be overwhelming at times.

As we sit here in the beautiful country of Malawi we have been faced with blessings and struggles. While our reception of the people has been positive, the progression of our purpose for this trip has felt slow compared to our desire.

Things are getting done but we aren’t as far along as we had hoped. We have formed our Malawian Board of Directors, filed for our Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status, met with and soaked up knowledge and wisdom from missionaries and established organizations that have gone before us, and looked at land. Actually, we have looked at a lot of land. We have talked to owners, driven by land, walked over small pieces of property, dreamed about the possibility of some expansive scenic locations, and prayer walked what we thought was going to be the perfect piece of land that God would provide, but today we don’t own a piece of land.

We have been busy taking steps to set a strong foundation for our ministry that will hopefully allow it to flourish for years to come. We are very intentional about the people we connect with, the testimony of our actions, and the vision that God has given us. We understand and believe with all of our hearts that the choices we make and the steps we take right now have the ability to shape not only the future of this ministry but also the future of the people we are here to serve, for good or bad.

We ask ourselves; “Are we doing the right things?”, “Are we being obedient to God’s call?”, “Are we moving fast enough?”, “Are we being patient enough?”, and “Are we even the right people to do this?”.

And this is where the call of God gets overwhelming.

Every time we as believers think that the outcome of the mission is dependent on our own ability, strength, wisdom, or sheer awesomeness, we will become overwhelmed because the task is beyond us.

This is where we found ourselves on a recent overnight trip to meet with a pastor that also operates a feeding center and primary school and sits on the board of several other NGO’s in the country.

The morning before our meeting as we were sitting with a blanket (because it’s winter here and we are skipping out on the Texas heat) a French press of Malawian coffee, two cups, and a view that won’t quit, my wife and I begin a conversation about some of the reasons we love the country of Malawi. One of those reasons has to do with broken pots.

Maybe I’ll share that reason a different day. Today is for what God showed me because of a broken pot.

The pot in context contains a beautifully tall and full snake plant and fits perfectly with the flora of the country but the pot has been through some tough times. It is weathered by the intense Malawian sun and has been drenched in the torrential rains of the rainy season in the mountains, but it is more than just weathered, it has been beat and broken. From my viewpoint I can see what looks like a “v” shaped chunk out of its rim. As I move around the pot, I see, that in reality, it is missing an entire side, all the way down to the base; and yet, what stands out to me the most is the perfect formation of the soil and the roots maintaining its shape and purpose of reaching towards the sun. Because of the brokenness of the pot I’m able to see the true glory and resiliency of the plant.

It would be easy for us to be overwhelmed or at least begin to feel the stress of trying to get everything accomplished we wanted to accomplish in our short time in the country and we have yet to buy a piece of land or lay a single brick. My prayer time has been consisting of “give me wisdom”, “give me discernment”, “don’t let me make a mistake”, “are you sure I’m the guy for the job?”.

Believe it or not, like most people, we care what others think. We care about the testimony of our ministry, of us as individuals and as a family, and of the church as a whole . We know that the world is looking to see if we succeed or if we fail. Those who give financially give generously but with the desire to see good things done with their gift. This is normal and expected as we are called to be good stewards of our finances and we all want positive impacts to come from our gifts. In truth this can be a lot of pressure because we also want our ministry to be successful and impactful and we want those that join us to have an eternal return on their investment. In general, I feel ill-equipped and inadequate for the job.

But then I see a broken pot and I’m reminded of a passage in 2 Corinthians 4:5-7.

“For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

2 Corinthians 4:5-7

My inadequacy brings God glory. It is in His power that all things are done. My purpose is not to produce the outcome, my purpose is to be a vessel for the Holy Spirit. This is not a new thought or a profound way of thinking, it is common conversation in the church circle. As Christians we all say God is in control. Where we get tripped up is in thinking that if our pot is weathered, worn, beaten down or cracked that we aren’t good enough to fulfill the purpose given to us by God. That if we fail or falter, we will not be able to be used by God either because He can’t use us or won’t want to use us.

2 Corinthians 4:7 says that “we have this treasure in jars of clay…” and the treasure it is speaking about is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the purpose of the jars of clay is to proclaim the glory of Christ. Some may ask, “If this is such a big job, why does God use jars of clay that are easily damaged and broken instead of a durable or even incorruptible metal?”, and the answer lies the second half of the verse; “…to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” If we were completely adequate and capable of carry out this mission on our own there would be no evidence of God in our mission. If people were able to look at our ministry and think, “of course it is going well, the Martins are amazing” God would not be getting the glory. Because He is one that provides the progress and the growth, He is the one that deserves the glory. So, with Paul, I will “boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” because His “power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor 12:9)

We are pots. Our job is not to give nutrients, water, or sunlight to the plant so that it will grow. A pot isn’t even necessary for a plant to grow, it can be planted in the ground and flourish where it is planted. The pot doesn’t bring glory to the plant, the pot is tool to fulfill the plants’ purpose. God doesn’t need us to be perfect for His will to manifest, He doesn’t need us at all. He only asks that we be willing vessels to carry out His will.

For me this is freeing, not because it means I don’t have any responsibilities, but because it helps me understand what my responsibility is.

We are pots and a pot is portable. When planted in a pot, the plant can be moved anywhere. Our job is to carry Gospel to ends of the earth and because we are worn and broken God gets the glory, not us.

And so, we will be at peace with the process and the progress, because we are pots, imperfect and fragile, but thankful for being used by God to carry the treasure of the Gospel.