The Potter’s Road Episode 4 – The Fire and the Furnace

 

The Potter’s Road

Episode 4 – The Fire and the Furnace

“Every vessel must face the fire to find its strength.”

The days after Damilare’s return were both sweet and strange. The house that had echoed with silence now held the murmurs of healing. Ruth moved about humming again. Damilare helped around the workshop, sweeping, sorting clay, and watching his father with quiet respect.

But deep down, Amos sensed that something more was coming.

One afternoon, as they worked together, a man in a crisp suit stepped into the shop. His shoes were polished, his voice confident. “Mr. Adewale, I represent a new ceramics company in the city. We’ve heard of your craftsmanship. We’d like to offer you a contract to design exclusive pieces under our brand.”

Ruth gasped. “Amos! That’s an answer to prayer!”

But Amos remained still. He felt something unsettled in his spirit. “Tell me more,” he said.

The man smiled. “We handle everything—materials, distribution, sales. You just create. But there’s a condition. We’ll need full creative control. You’ll use our molds and designs. Your old handmade style is… too slow.”

Damilare’s eyes lit with ambition. “Baba, this could change everything. We could rebuild. Modernize!”

Amos looked down at his clay-stained hands, then at the half-formed pot on the wheel. “And what happens to the soul in the work?” he asked quietly.

The man chuckled. “Soul doesn’t sell, sir. Speed does. Think about it. I’ll return next week.”

After he left, silence filled the room again. Damilare spoke first. “Baba, maybe this is how God wants to bless us.”

Amos nodded slowly. “Maybe. But blessings without peace are no blessings at all.”

That night, he couldn’t sleep. He went to the workshop and sat by the kiln. The flickering flames whispered like old friends. He thought of all the years of struggle—the cracked pots, the silent prayers, the small miracles.

He whispered, “Lord, You’re the Potter. I’m just the clay. If this fire is Yours, let me not fear it.”

The next morning, he decided to test the kiln with a new clay mix. As the fire blazed, Damilare watched nervously. “Baba, that’s too hot! You’ll ruin the whole batch!”

But Amos smiled faintly. “The fire doesn’t destroy what’s meant to endure, my son. It reveals its strength.”

Hours later, when the furnace cooled, Amos reached in and lifted one of the pots. It was stronger, more radiant, with a unique sheen he’d never seen before.

He turned to Damilare, eyes glistening. “See? The clay that survives the fire becomes the most beautiful.”

That same evening, Amos wrote in his journal:

“The world offers shortcuts, but Heaven shapes slowly. I would rather glow from the Potter’s fire than shine from the world’s mold.”

When the businessman returned the following week, Amos smiled kindly and declined.

Ruth’s voice trembled as she asked, “Amos, are you sure?”

He nodded. “The Potter’s hand is enough. I’d rather stay in His furnace than lose myself in another man’s design.”

Damilare didn’t understand then. But years later, he would.

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✨ End of Episode 4 – The Fire and the Furnace

📖 Scripture Echo:
“When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; the flame shall not consume you.” —Isaiah 43:2