The Pot which Taught me Grace

Cooking brings me joy. It allows me to express my love for others through my cooking. Along with my passion for preparing meals, I love enameled cast iron pots. 

Recently I purchased two quite-used enameled cast iron pots and lids from an online Facebook group. The pots’ brand name is Descoware. This brand of pot was made popular by a famous chef named, Julia Childs. One pot I purchased was in good condition. The other pot I bought had seen better days. 

The pot that saw its better days had scorch marks. The marks of burning were on the bottom and sides. The owner could not get it cleaned. 

Something drew me to this cookware. I am not a fan of its color. But, I felt within, I must get this pot. 

Previously, I had never tried to restore a pot. I brought the pot home and made plans for its cleaning. It took four attempts to clean this pot. Each cleaning took away the scorching. Each cleaning revealed more of the pot’s color. 

Each scrubbing of the pot took energy, expense, and time. After scrubbing and scouring, the pot was clean. When I removed the scorching, it revealed some scarring. 

There were two places where the scorching remained.  I scrubbed and scrapped. The marks were indelible. 

While deciding what to do about these two remaining marks on the pot, I looked at the pot not as a cook, but, as a Christian. I looked at these blemishes and realized I was this pot.

Before Calvary, if I were the pot, I must have looked horrible to God. All of my efforts to cleanse me were futile. All of my expense to restore myself was useless. All of my time to cleanse me would not have done the job. I was hopelessly filthy. 

God saw me not for what I was, but He saw whom I could become. He purchased me, washed me, cleansed me, and gave me a purpose. 

This orange-red enameled cast iron piece taught me grace, afresh.  

About those two marks on the pot, I decided to leave those two scorch marks as a reminder of what the pot's condition was when I purchased it. 

God’s grace washes us. God's grace brings us home. God's grace provides us with a new purpose. 

Never allow the work of grace God's done in your life make you focus on the blemishes. Focus on the Grace.