Finding Encouragement

Go down to the shop where clay pots and jars are made, and I will talk to you there. I did as he told me, and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar that he was forming didn't turn out as he wished, so he kneaded it into a lump and started again. Then the Lord said: "O Israel, can't I do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter's hands, so are you in my hand. " Jeremiah: 2-6 (TLB)

Claudia Merle Hochberg, from Texas, was brought up in a Jewish home, but on Easter Sunday when she was 50 years old, she was baptized. The Holy Spirit entered her life, and she became a new Christian.

One day Claudia went to her favorite cafe and found The Upper Room on the table. She read every story for the next month. She knew the Lord intended for her to find it, and it encouraged her new walk with Christ and her thirst for understanding.

Eleven years later, a friend and Claudia were walking around a nearby university campus and found a small chapel. The Upper Room was on a table inside. Claudia instantly remembered it and told her friend about her first copy. She took one home. As Claudia read the real-life stories from people around the world who have a special relationship with Jesus, she was united with the writers.

Over time, Claudia came to realize that she did not have to give up her Jewish traditions to have a relationship with Christ. Walking side by side with Christ had helped her find inner peace and also peace in her relationships. And the lord brought the stories in The Upper Room into her life at just the right moment.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for the people and stories that encourage our faith. Help us to follow the path toward love that you have laid out for us, in Jesus' name. Amen.