Common Nobility

"Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?" - Romans 9:21

Romans 9:21 had me doing some deep thinking about myself a while back. Curious if I was okay being formed for common use. Common things are used. I look at a common piece of pottery as a bit drab, unordained, perhaps chipped. I look at a noble piece as placed on a shelf, bejeweled, looked upon. A common piece is unnoticed. A noble piece is noticed. A common piece is of everyday use. A noble piece is for special occasions.

And I think I am okay with that. I hope I am. I believe it is a moment by moment decision to be satisfied with this view of commonality. I know sometimes I like to be looked at as noble. But I am okay with common. I think. I am okay with being used. I think. I am okay being chipped. I don't want to be, but I think I'm okay with that. I am okay being unnoticed. I think I am. I want to be.

I have the above verse from Romans on my computer monitor at work. And like most things on my computer monitor. They tend to be up there and I forget about them. But this "common" idea reemerged in a conversation with some friends the other day. I realized that when we look at words like common or noble, our definitions, or moreover our understanding comes from our own viewpoint.

But what is God's viewpoint. What are His understandings of common and noble? What do they each look like to Him? What is noble to God? What is common to God?

I believe God seeks the useful. The chipped. The marginalized. The hidden. Those who allow themselves to be placed on the Potter's wheel.

Blessed are the poor...those who mourn...the meek...those who thirst for righteousness...the merciful...the pure of heart...the peacemakers...those persecuted for righteousness...

I want to be commonly noble in the eyes of the Potter.

Declare Something Today!!!

In an age of fingertip technology and media blitz, we are assaulted with opinion and news. There is a lust for attention and information. We get input in a nano second ("Do you guys know how to post videos to facebook?"), and can safely voice an opinion with relative anonymity outside of a profile pic.

I am confident we've all seen a "Friend", or moreover ourselves, provide some sort of a drop-and-run pronouncement about a controversial issue, exploit someone else's failure or looks, or slander someone's character because their opinion or lifestyle is different than ours.

It is a rarity to find someone who is willing to hold the mirror up to themselves each day. Take a long hard look. Then honestly and publicly declare what they see.

I have such a friend and brother in Stephen Kee. Kee has written a book called Declare Something Today!!!. He wrote this book for himself, and through it has stripped himself and exposed himself to the general public. A rarity today. Kee's declarations are provocative, thought provoking, and agitating—to himself, and also his readers. But perhaps the deeper need, rather than Kee's self declarations, would be our own. Will we take the kid gloves off of our egos? Will we unbutton our blouse? Will we expose ourselves within our community?

I applaud Kee's transparency and zeal. I challenge my own.

I will look at myself honestly. Unpeel the onion as to the "why" within my decisions, actions and declarations. And ask God to encourage or reprimand me (though I honestly don't want the reprimand). For it is Him that I desire to serve with all I say and do. "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." - Psalm 19:14. DECLARE SOMETHING TODAY!!!

Go to Declare Something Today's Facebook page and make a self declaration today. Or for more on Stephen Kee and the Declarative Community visit Kee 2 Life.