[moldbreakers]

Clay is such an interesting material. For those that don’t know how clay forms: (like myself, before I started thinking through this post) when natural acid in the ground wears down rock, clay materials form. When combined with water, clay becomes a moldable substance and we use it to form all types of new objects. When clay dries it becomes hard, and when fired in a kiln, permanent physical and chemical changes occur. The finished product (say, a jar or brick) looks completely different than the original clay (which looks like dirt).

Clay pottery is mainly made one of two ways – thrown by hand or mass-produced. If clay pottery is mass-produced, companies use molds to create products. The clay is mixed, measured and conditioned. Each lump is placed in its mold, and fired at the desired temperature for the desired time. The pieces are removed and it is assured that all finished products are perfect to the eye and indistinguishable from the others. They all are, basically, the same.

When thrown by hand, every piece crafted by an artist is unique. The potter spins the clay on a wheel and shapes it with their hands until the lump of clay forms whatever the potter intends. The piece may have imperfections, but the potter makes sure that the piece will accomplish its intended use and then bakes it until it hardens and shines. At the end of the process one thing is certain – there is no other piece quite like it in existence.

Visualize this. As people, we are a lot like clay. The Bible says God makes us from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7). We begin our lives much like those colorless lumps, ready to be shaped into something useful – something beautiful. We are meant to each be unique, carefully shaped by caring hands, but during our shaping process, something tells us to reject this thought. We are told to fear being different, so we desire the safety that conformity brings. Then, as we are persuaded by societal expectations or a commercial and economic world, we don’t even notice that instead of becoming a unique creation, we are lured onto a production line.

We are being molded, but instead of a unique piece, we are told how to look. Our actions, emotions, beliefs, morals, and even our appearances are being shaped by our surroundings and other influences in our lives. The most dangerous part of falling into the societal mold is that we think we have control. We think we, as clay, know how we should be formed. We choose a lie – a false, skewed sense of security.

When I look around, I see a people who are all being made to look the same.

Consumed with the goal of crafting our own existence, we fall into a mold where we are all the same, operating in a world where we are nothing more than numbers on the bottom of a barcode. We are told what to value and what to set as goals. Blinded by our aspirations, we don’t see the world adding hate, lies, and false beliefs to our mixture. By the time we are baked in the kiln, going through the experiences of life, we are set – and messed up through and through. When we exit the fire, our changes are so extreme that we don’t even recognize ourselves.

But it’s too late.

We are ceramic, hardened and resistant to change. To the world, we are simply the bottom-line of the company, valued solely because of what we can earn, instead of being valued because we were created. Sadly, sometimes we only see ourselves as such. We completely give up on being a beautiful piece of carefully crafted art and become frozen forever into a routine of apathetic self-existence and idolatry.

But what if it wasn’t too late? What if we, no matter where we are on that path, could change the cycle?

We can. We have to break the mold.

For too long, we (even Christians) have been conditioned to believe lies, the most disruptive of those being that we are to control our own lives. But God is the one who forms us from the dust of the ground. He is the True Potter, the one who knows and loves us. What would it look like if we let God spin us instead of letting the world shape us? What if we let The Living Water, Jesus, permeate every facet of our being instead of allowing ourselves to be flooded by commercialism and society? Is it that we are afraid to look different?

See, the Potter continues to shape until you look like He desires. We begin to see who He intends us to be. He works our imperfections together for good. He wants to put us through the fire – the experiences of life – but we will find that they only refine us. He guarantees the finished product will be perfect, because He is perfect. When we look at ourselves, we still don’t look the same, but we soon realize that we continually see more of the Potter in ourselves. He gives us purpose – because knowing Him and becoming more like Him is the purpose, and He equips us to fulfill that purpose. He values you – if for no other reason than because He created you. He requires that you value yourself, and others. The truly amazing part is that although each piece He shapes is unique and different, He loves each one.

How then do we break the mold? We become willing pieces of clay. We let the Potter shape us, instead of trying to shape ourselves.

The goal of Moldbreakers is simply that. It’s about learning how to live our lives with the purpose of letting the Potter – God – shape our lives. When we truly know Him, we realize that our intended position is resting in His hands. We are all trying to figure out how best to do just that. We take it one step at a time; we walk through daily life together. We are just like you, combatting the attacks of Satan by reaching for Jesus and arming ourselves with His Word. We are not perfect. It’s time to embrace our uniqueness, no matter what our past or present looks like. God wants to use us for His Glory. I’m broken, too. You are not alone.

Moldbreakers is about sifting through our culture and lives to find the truth through the lies. It’s about responding to society and relating to each other’s burdens. It’s about putting aside our goals and submitting to God’s. It’s about a journey with a community that is joined together by Kingdom-focus. It’s about discipleship – and reaching out to others.

Who is shaping you?

To break the mold, we must be the clay.

“And yet, O Lord, you are our Father.
We are the clay, and you are the potter.
We all are formed by your hand.”
– Isaiah 64:8