Are you tired of doing? Do this. Do that. Sometimes we meet ourselves coming and going, because we are doing it all, all of the time. What would happen if we just picked our oars up out of the water and stopped rowing and floated along to enjoy the ride for a bit? Would the World stop turning? Maybe we should give it a try. I am talking to myself here too. I am a DO-aholic. I admit it.

As Christians, we are BE-lievers not DO-lievers. The Bible tells us to be still and know that He is God. But how do we just be, when there is so much to do? Let’s start at the beginning, our creation.

“Sugar and spice and everything nice, that’s what little girls are made of”, or, at least that’s what we were told when we were little girls. Boys are made of snakes and snails and puppy dog tails …But, really??

The Bible says in Genesis 2:7, “The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”  (Actually, women came from man’s rib, but you get the general idea.)  In Ecclesiastes 3:20, the Bible says, “All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.”  God is the Potter who forms us from the clay.

“Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape.”  This is a quote that we could live by.  Often, we have too much to do.  I imagine at times we are all bent out of shape. I know I am. Sometimes, we might all wonder what is the purpose in all this crazy busyness.  Our lives, especially women’s, seem to be defined by all we can “do” rather than by who we are.

Sometimes, don’t we just want to “be”? …‘Be’ happy, ‘be’ still, ‘be’ one who is fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of our Creator.  Who am I?  What is my calling?  What is my special purpose?  And how can I discover it?  Only the One who lovingly created me truly knows the reason why.

Romans 9:21 says,  “Does not the Potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?”

We may or may not feel that we have been called to what we consider a noble purpose.  But, what is a noble purpose anyway?  No task is small or unimportant if Christ has called us to it.  You know what they say—”The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.”  He has things planned that we have no clue about.  2 Timothy 2:20-21 says, “Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.”

Only by being malleable can we become the masterpiece, the vessel that God has planned for us to become—the one He designed for our good and for His glory. Sometimes it is painful. Sometimes it means we take a pounding by our circumstances. Some circumstances are because of our decisions, and some are beyond our control.

At times the Great Craftsman uses Satan as a carving tool to perfect us.  Sometimes, it’s the fire that the Potter decides we need.  I hate when that happens, don’t you?  The heat seems unbearable.  But, oh, the results are life-changing!! And, isn’t that God’s purpose for the fire? Out of love, He wants to make us His best.

“A clay pot sitting in the sun will always be a clay pot. It has to go through the white heat of the furnace to become porcelain.” -Anonymous

In the Bible, perhaps Abraham’s servant was faced with the same confusion of his purpose.  Abraham’s nephew, Lot, was captured and held by, not one or two, but four kings.  318 of Abraham’s servants were called upon to go rescue Lot.  Certainly, as chief servant over all that Abraham had, he was greatly involved in this expedition. After the rescue of Lot from the four kings, Abraham told his servant that he had another assignment.

He must have thought, “What world does Abraham want me to conquer now?  What kingdom would he like me to acquire for him?”  Then, the moment of truth… Abraham clears his throat,… yes, here it comes… drum roll, please… “Go find a wife for my son, Isaac.”

“That’s it?,” his servant may have thought.  “Playing Match Maker? Abraham, are you sure you don’t have something more important for me to do?  Something maybe, a little less, well… sissy?  Something of noble purpose?”

Scripture doesn’t indicate that he showed Abraham any hesitation at all.  No, he was probably most concerned with doing a great job for his master, no matter what he was asked to do.  He learned the secrets of being a great servant…being willing to serve…being humble and… BEING FLEXIBLE.  Truly a lesson for us all.

You know what they say, “Sometimes, less is more.”  God doesn’t need our help to mold us into His best.  He’s the Potter.  Take a radical step toward becoming all you can be. It starts simply with BE-ing a lump of clay. 

Have thine own way, Lord. Have thine own way. Thou art the Master. I am the Clay. Mold me and make me after Thy will while I am waiting yielded and still. Amen

Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8

Please share your comments, “clay and the fire” experiences, and encouragement for our readers.

Thank you for reading and sharing my blogpost today. May the Potter accomplish His most beautiful creation in you.