I started thinking about the clay and what it feels like while being marred. I don't know if you have ever been on a potters wheel before, I have. In high school they had pottery classes. Loved it. Anyway... The clay is wet and gritty from the sand. It is also very slimy and thick feeling. All of these textures in one. The clay gets into your hands and fingernails. Most people would end up with the clay all of the way up their arms. They would be up to their elbows in clay. What am I getting at?
I have often heard the potters hands preached as a good thing. To be molded by God is a great thing. All good. I have started thinking. Being molded has to be a little painful. Because we are taking who we are now and reforming it into something God wants us to be. We are crushing/marring our lives and purging the good the bad and the ugly out. When God is the potter, he is trying to recreate us. Just like the potter on the wheel is up to his elbows in clay, so is our heavenly father with our lives. We have to become pliable and moldable by our choice. We have to surrender who we are and what we are to become to him. When we do so, we are in every inch of our fathers hands. Once we have surrendered to being moldable, we then go through the drying out stage. Just as the clay goes through the dry and cracked stage so do we. There is going to be a point in our walk with the Lord that we are going to feel dry and cracked. It is that very point that we have to stay strong and faithful. God is a God of faith not feelings. I do believe he meets our feelings, but that is not the focus of who he is. After the clay dries out it is then painted. The pottery gets painted right before it goes into the kiln or the fire furnace. You can not see the color you are painting until it goes through the kiln. God is painting our colors while we walk out our faith. I am thinking about the pottery at this point. It is on a shelf continuing to dry out. The potter doesn't have to spend every moment with the clay. But he does check on it daily. He is letting the clay continue to take shape. Just as we don't feel God, I believe he is allowing us to go through a dry time so that we can continue to trust in him. We are then starting to take shape in our walk with the Lord. During the dry cracked time we are building our faith. We are starting to gain confidence in God. Towards the end of our drought we are starting to become bold. Our colors are starting to show. We are starting to share who God is and what he is and has done in our lives. Just then, we are put into the furnace. We are going to see attack and things stacked against us. Because the enemy knows that when we come out of the firey furnace we are going to be something amazing. We will be life changers for the kingdom of God. We will see something done. We will be the exact person that God created. UNSHAKABLE!!!! UNSTOPABLE!!!!!!! ALL FOR GODS KINGDOM!!!
Profound thoughts Cori! Have you ever thought of writing a book? This is a God given talent that you have! God bless you!
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