Once upon a time there was a potter who took great pleasure in creating various forms of pottery. One day the Potter decided to create a person out of clay. The potter took great joy in making the hands and feet of this little person. As the potter shaped each facial feature he would smile at his work. When the little person was complete the potter was satisfied with his new work of art. The potter took a close look at this little man made of clay and realized he was covered with dust. So, the potter took a deep breath and blew the dust from the clay man.
That was the breath of life as it came to be known. For when the dust rose off of the little clay man the potter’s breath gave life to him. The potter was even more pleased with his creation and he gave the little clay man the name, Clayton. The potter felt that Clayton needed a companion. As Clayton slept the potter took a piece of clay from the side of Clayton and formed a little clay woman, the potter called her, Amissa, which means companion and friend.
The potter had also created a little village made of clay for the new couple to live. Not far from the village was a place called the Land of the Cliffs. This was a place that they were told to never go. The reason the couple was to never go to the Land of the Cliffs was because they did not have any depth perception. This meant that if they ever went to this place they could walk right over a cliff and not realize it until they were on their way to the bottom of it.
The couple enjoyed living in the village and having fellowship with the Potter. Many times the couple admired each other and how there was not even one blemish on the body of clay of the other. One day a salesman came into their village. The salesman found Amissa and enticed her with a map of the Land of the Cliffs. She told the salesman that they were not supposed to go there. However, the salesman was persistent and assured her that with the map they would surely find the way. Her curiosity was peaked and she turned to Clayton to see his reaction.
Within a short time both had reached the land they were told to never enter. Neither could see that they were standing right on the edge of one of the cliffs. The couple being filled with curiosity and excitement glanced at each other and decided to go just a bit further. Each took the hand of the other and took the next step that became one that they would regret for the rest of their lives.
Over the cliff they both began to fall and at that moment their eyes were opened and they were able to perceive the depths in the Land of the Cliffs. By the time they reached the bottom their bodies that once had no blemishes were now scratched, chipped, and parts broken. They both were engulfed with feelings of shame, guilt, regret, and great sorrow for the choice that they had made.
After a great struggle each had made it back to the top of the cliff and eventually made their way back to the village. The Potter had come to fellowship with the couple, but they attempted to hide from the potter. The Potter called out for Clayton, but he responded that he was afraid to show his broken body. “How was your body broken?” asked the Potter. Clayton sorrowfully explained how he and Amissa were deceived to venture into the Land of the Cliffs.
As the Potter mended the broken bodies he explained that now life for them would be the sum of the choices they made. The couple was no longer allowed to live in the village, but would have to make their home in the Land of the Cliffs. Their new home was also given a new name, The Land of Clayton. The potter also informed them that since they had now both been broken that all of their offspring would be broken. The only for sure survival of the offspring would be if they were brought back to the Potter to be refined. To Be Continued…
*This is a 5 Part story started March 15, 2000. Stay tuned to find out what happens to The Claytons.
~TRS
Rays of Hope 