Clay work and reflection by Carolyn Lau
I used to see myself as someone who was pretty grounded in life. I had principles and values that I kept to, went for mass regularly and tried my best to live a life that I thought was pleasing to God. Despite all of this, I still felt a nagging sense of insecurity about myself, my purpose in life and my future.
One day at SOW, I had the sudden awareness that while my feet were planted firmly on the ground and I was physically stable and balanced, internally I was in turmoil and struggling with fears and doubts again.
It then occurred to me that the feet that I was standing on were created by God. Mounded carefully and lovingly by the hands of the Almighty for a purpose – to give me stability and to allow me to move. They belonged to Him and I belonged to Him.
As I brought these thoughts into deeper reflection and prayer, God revealed that many of my foundations in life were shaky because I had not allowed Him in. All the time, my assurances and grounding were from myself and the level of control I thought I had in my life. Being in control was a protective layer I had placed over myself and in doing so, I had unknowingly blocked God out too.
I felt the invitation to remove this layer of self-reliance and step barefooted again into God’s love – one that never fails and one that washes away all my sins and failings.
Over the few weeks spent in SOW, we were always encouraged to move in faith not fear. With each step made in faith, I experienced myself walking the path of a life made new in Jesus Christ – my firm foundation on whom I can ground my past, present and future on.
