by Jill Austin
Without saying one word or asking what his wishes are, she summons her servant and orders her to take Purity to another household immediately.
Back in her room, Purity can’t understand what happened but she knows it was Master Potter who came to her rescue. Tears flow again, but this time in gratitude as the servant enters her room and packs her few belongings. She no longer has to worry about visits in the night from Grandfather. Love and gratitude toward Master Potter fill her. The huge angels take their place at her side and follow her into the night.
Beloved prays for hours until Holy Spirit tells her that victory has been gained. Now the excruciating pain of their separation overwhelms Beloved. Lord, thank You for the assurance that all is well, but please let me go to Deeper Life and get Purity and Crusader.
The anguish lying just beneath the surface of her consciousness sweeps over her in wave after painful wave. Sobbing until there are no more tears left, she finally falls to sleep, utterly exhausted.
Valiant steps in from the shadows and touches her brow, bringing rest and peace to Master Potter’s Beloved.
PART SEVEN
ON THE SHELF AGAIN!
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE REALLY UGLY!
Sitting inside the cold, dark kiln the vessels awaken to the sound of metal rods being loosened on the outside. They hold their breath as the door slowly creaks open. Light comes streaming in, momentarily blinding them. Master Potter smiles as He watches them squinting, trying to see how beautiful they have become.
Master Potter pulls them out into the bright daylight and places them next to each other on a long wooden board.
“You’ve passed this test! I’m very proud of you all.”
A shock runs through the vessels as they realize how bare and naked they look. Beloved tries to conceal her astonishment when she sees Comrade’s new appearance and quickly looks at the other vessels around her. Dismayed, she realizes all of them are ugly, and she feels miserable as she wonders what she must look like. We’re just dull; I thought we’d be shiny with beautiful colors reflecting off our glazes. What happened?
Sweet Adoration, the perfume vial, cries out as she is carried into the sunlight, “Am I beautiful yet? Am I done?”
Long Suffering replies, “Honey, you just look old and dry. You’re not even glazed, just like the rest of us. This kiln experience is like a nightmare I can’t wake up from.”
Disgusted, Harvester bellows, “I can’t believe it! After all the fire and pain I’ve been through, and I’m not even glazed. This is unbelievable!”
Arguments erupt as the vessels try to figure out what went wrong.
Fearless yells, “I thought we were supposed to have some color and be ready to go by now! Hey, Beloved! You just prophesied I would have a purple grape design on a beautiful white glaze and be off to the nations! Talk about missing it! What happened?”
Embarrassed, Beloved drops her head. “Honestly Fearless…really, I saw you and your wine goblets being loaded onto the flagship! I promise.”
“Come on you guys, don’t be so hard on her, she’s just learning. She probably got her prophetic timing mixed up—by ten or twenty years,” says Comrade, coming to her defense.
After a while, Master Potter quiets them. “Beloved, the prophetic word you had for Fearless was right.”
Turning to Fearless, Master Potter continues. “Beloved never said when you’d go on the flagship. Prophetic timing can be a major stumbling block because My ways are hidden! Just because I show someone a vision today doesn’t mean it will happen tomorrow. My words are to give hope and encouragement for your destiny. Although accurate, they are still in the future.”
ANOTHER FIRING?
Speaking to the group of disappointed vessels He says: “You’re right; you’re not glazed yet. This was only the first firing. You are now in the stage I call bisqueware. But you have all been changed and matured by My refiner’s fire.”
Long Suffering turns to Beloved. “This doesn’t sound good. Did He just say there’s more than one firing? I don’t think I could live through another one!”
Sweet Adoration looks lovingly to Master Potter. “But Lord, we’re so ugly! Just look at us! No one will even notice us except to laugh and poke fun.”
Master Potter holds her out proudly for the others to see. “You look wonderful to Me, but others will not see your beauty until you’re glazed. You must go through a higher firing to melt the silica, which are small particles of glass in your glaze. They melt only at extremely high temperatures. This molten glassy finish will seal the surface of your porous earthenware vessel and enable you to hold My substances.”
Placing her back on the board, He tells them, “Tonight, I will pour golden healing oil into Sweet Adoration, but it will evaporate rapidly because she has not been glazed.”
Shuddering, Beloved asks, “Do we have to go back into the fire right now?”
“No, not right now. I have other plans for you. You’re all coming into a new season of refreshment.”
“I’m ready!” shouts Joyful the wine goblet. “Let the celebration begin.”
As He finishes speaking, Master Potter opens the large studio windows, allowing the gentle sea breezes to bring sweet fragrances from His gardens into the fireside room. Then Holy Spirit swirls throughout the room in a gust of wind, bringing refreshing and mirth. A mighty anointing of joy bubbles up within the vessels, bringing relief from the hot fires as they celebrate the new season ahead.
The vessels pray for each other, giggling and chatting, and then finally settle down to rest on the shelves.
BACK TO THE POTTER’S FIELD
Master Potter says, “I’m assembling groups to go down to the Potter’s Field and rescue other broken vessels. Fearless, would you like to head up a team and take Joyful and some others with you?”
Joyful, the wine goblet, excited and wobbling a bit, says, “Wow! I’d love to go with Fearless! Who else wants to go? What about you guys over there?” Delight bubbles up and spills onto those around her. “I can’t wait to introduce my old friends to Master Potter!”
Steadfast and Harvester, always ready for adventure, follow Joyful’s lead. Harvester yells, “I’ve been waiting for this! I’ve got the tracts.”
“Follow me, troops,” Fearless shouts while heading out the door.
Sweet Adoration yells as she runs to catch up. “What are the ‘Four Spiritual Laws’ again? I keep getting points two and three mixed up! Hey, wait for me!”
Master Potter smiles and shakes his head. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Fearless stops abruptly, and the vessels following his lead all plow into him and end up in a pile on the floor. Master Potter gently helps them to their feet.
“What did we forget? We’re ready, willing and able,” says Harvester.
“I think I know,” replies Sweet Adoration. “It’s our armor, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it’s your armor. I don’t think you want to fight the enemy on the Potter’s Field without it, do you?” asks Master Potter.
“About face, troops,” yells Fearless. “Everyone, run—don’t walk—to get your armor.” After a short delay to find and sort their armor, the vessels help each other dress.
“Wow, this is really tarnished,” says Comrade, looking at his breastplate.
At Fearless’s command, they all line up to take inventory. “Everyone got their shields to quench the fiery darts of the enemy?” The vessels all wave their shields wildly above their heads. “How about your swords?” After a quick check to make sure everyone is fully clad, they turn and march out the door.
“Now this is what I call an army,” bellows Harvester. “Lookin’ good, troops!”
“To the Potter’s Field,” yells Joyful.
“Yes, to the Potter’s Field,” they all shout in reply.
The group left in the fireside room chatter excitedly as they swap war stories from their fiery kiln experience and wait for the others to return.
RECONCILIATION
At the end of the day, the weary yet ecstatic troop returns. The room bursts into joyous applause when new vessels snatched from the Potter’s Field are placed on the shelves. Master Potter carefully places a broken sugar bowl on the shelf beside Beloved and Comrade. “Look who they brought in! You knew her as Turncoat, but I’ve always called her Faithful.”
Comrade tells her, “We were rescued too, Turncoat. Oops, I mean Faithful! You knew me as Friendless at Madam False Destiny’s Inn, but Master Potter changed my name to Comrade. Do you remember Forsaken? She was a singer for Madam. Her name is now Beloved!”
Faithful looks away as her face flushes. She stares at her feet. Beloved remembers the argumentative interchange they had on the Potter’s Field and tries to figure out how to put Faithful at ease. “I guess we were both really desperate last time we met.”
“Oh yes,” responds Faithful. “I had just arrived at the Potter’s Field myself, and I was so scared. I-I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.”
“I was frightened too. In the Potter’s Field we were both just trying to survive. Neither of us was thinking about anyone else’s well-being.”
“But Forsaken, I mean Beloved, I’m sorry I was so mean to you that day. I was always jealous of your position at Madam’s. I was just an employee, but you were like her daughter. You sang so beautifully and had the spotlight and Madam’s attention. I was glad when I saw that day that you had ended up like I did.”
“Oh Faithful, I was so mean to you at Madam’s. I felt you were beneath me. I really was a snob. I’m so sorry.”
“I’m sorry too,” says Faithful. “I should have at least tried to be nice to you, even if I couldn’t help.”
Beloved hugs the sugar bowl. “I’m so glad you’re here! I forgive you. Will you forgive me too?”
“Yes, of course.”
Beloved responds, “What’s past is past. We both have an exciting journey ahead.”
“I’m so happy to be out of the Potter’s Field and here with some familiar faces,” Faithful tells Comrade and Beloved.
I WANT THE BEST SEAT
Whistling softly, Master Potter returns with other vessels from the kiln, arranging them strategically. He sets a large sturdy casserole dish named Diligence next to Comrade.
Diligence complains to the other pots: “I don’t want to be over here! I’m sure Master Potter put me on the wrong shelf. That group over there is more my style, and, besides, they have a much better view of the harbor. They appear to be wealthy, and not everyone is gifted to work with the rich. Don’t take this personally, but I feel called to pastor folks like them.”
Abundance, the large fruit bowl on the shelf above Beloved, joins in. “Come to think of it, I wonder why He didn’t display me on the mantel? As a woman, I certainly deserve as much exposure in the church as the men are getting. Don’t you think so, Beloved?”
“Well, I think that Master Potter is the One who—”
“After all, that mantel looks like a platform of prominence and authority! I know I’ve been in a dry season, but He’s called me as an evangelist, and I’ve already started moving in signs and wonders!”
Comrade turns to Beloved. “Pay no attention to Diligence and Abundance; they just like to complain. Besides, have you noticed that they’re really ugly? They’re uglier than we are, that’s for sure!”
THE DISCIPLINE OF FASTING
“Hey,” Harvester’s booming voice captures the attention of everyone in the room. “I just read this great book on fasting. It said that we could attain spiritual maturity by going on a fast. Isn’t that great?”
The excited vessels all crowd around pledging their participation. “That’s a great idea!”
“I want to fast.”
“Me too.”
“Let’s do it!”
Finally, the excitement settles down and Comrade questions sheepishly, “What’s a fast?”
The vessels all look perplexed until Harvester explains, “A fast just means going without food for a while.”
Smiles fade, and the vessels all look at the floor or the ceiling and finally just shuffle away. “Fine,” yells Harvester. “Just fine! I’ll do it myself if none of you want to be spiritual! I’ll show you! I think I’ll do a 40-day water fast. How hard could it be?”
EXCITING NEWS
Finally, only Comrade and Faithful, the newly saved sugar bowl, are awake.
“I’m much too excited to sleep! I can’t believe Master Potter came for me. When I looked into His eyes for the very first time, I knew that He loved me. It’s hard to explain—He loved me just for who I am; I didn’t have to pretend to be someone else. What a relief! I can’t believe I’m here. And I can’t believe that people from my past are here, and they’ve all got a new name, too.”
“I can remember when you were back at Madam’s shuffling the cards. I lost lots of money to you,” Comrade says with a grimace. “I had a gambling problem then, and it got me into a lot of trouble. I don’t even like to think about it now. It seems like it was another person then, not even me.”
Faithful looks away.
“What’s the matter? Did I say something wrong?”
“Oh, Comrade, I didn’t always shuffle the deck straight. You were set up so many times. I used to get a percentage of the winnings at the Inn. I really needed the money. Could you ever forgive me?”
Surprised by his own response, Comrade tenderly looks at the broken sugar bowl and says, “I forgive you…you are no longer Turncoat, remember? Now you are Faithful! We both have a lot to put behind us. Who would have thought that we’d both end up here together? Master Potter is so merciful.”
“I never knew what happened to Forsaken, I mean Beloved. After we had that big fight, I never saw her again. I was in the Potter’s Field off and on for years. One day, someone came looking for Beloved. She was very disappointed when I told her that she had been gone for years. I had no idea—”
“Her? Her who?” Comrade babbled.
“I don’t know. A young lady, she was really pretty—”
“We’ve got to tell Beloved!” Comrade jumps to his feet, loses his balance and tips over backwards. In his frazzled embarrassment, he blurts out, “D-d-don’t just stand there—do something!”
Clambering to his feet, he grabs Faithful’s hand and drags her over to where Beloved lies sleeping. Faithful says, “What’s happening? Why are you so excited?”
Beloved was in the middle of a wonderful dream. She and Master Potter were flying over Comfort Cove. “Look at all the houses below. Each house represents at least one person that I want to bring into Father’s Kingdom.” As Beloved looked down at Comfort Cove and then to the horizon, she heard Comrade’s voice in the distance…“Beloved, Beloved, BELOVED, BEEE-LOV-ED—WAKE UP!”
Trying to conceal her irritation, and trying to cling to her dream, she mumbles, “Not now—sleeping.”
“But you have to hear what Faithful has to say.”
“Tomorrow.”
“No, now. Tell her, Faithful; tell her.”
Faithful looks at Beloved and back to Comrade. “I think I’ll come back tomorrow.” She tries to hide her nervousness by holding her body rigid, but her lid starts to rattle. “Oh dear,” she says.
Comrade steps in front of her to block her exit. “Now, Now, NOW! This can’t wait!” he says.
“Well,” began Faithful, raising her voice slightly to be heard over her rattling top. “Once when I was in the Potter’s Field, it was probably about a year ago, maybe a little less. Anyway, I was digging through the trash, and someone wanted to know about you.”
Comrade is shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Unable to contain himself any longer, he blurts out, “It was a girl. It was your daughter. It was Purity!”
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
THE SETTLERS
For a while, it was quite an exciting adventure for the teams who went back to Comfort Cove on mission trips. They marveled at how they could
actually hear Holy Spirit telling them what to do. They visited the taverns and fishing docks, bringing in more and more vessels.
Beloved and all her friends were constantly looking for Purity when they went to town, but they were unable to find her or anyone who had seen her.
Sitting on the shelf again after one of the trips, Beloved looks toward the familiar stone-hewed fireplace. She remembers her own beginning with Master Potter and the lessons she learned at His hands. I remember sitting in Master Potter’s lap in His big leather chair. He held me close to His heart and sang over me as we watched the fire dance.
Lost in thought, she reminisces about her wilderness journey and the children she left behind. Tears well up again, and Holy Spirit reminds her it’s time to pray.
Suddenly her children’s faces appear before her, causing her mother’s heart to ache, especially when she sees the deep sadness in their eyes. Silently interceding in the Spirit, she prays for protection and strength in the battle that is being waged against them. She weeps softly until she senses an assurance from Holy Spirit that all is well.
Beloved fights discouragement by remembering what Master Potter had showed her in the tent of the Lord about praying for her children. She never stops interceding for them.
THE GRUMPY FASTER
As each day passes, Harvester not only becomes thinner, but he also becomes grumpier. He spends more and more time to himself and develops a bit of a holier-than-thou attitude. He begins making frequent mission trips into Comfort Cove alone and brags about his newfound spirituality through fasting.
“I thought fasting was supposed to make you godly. It’s just making him mean,” says Patience.
