Lumpy and You and..... Who's in Control here anyway?

Imagine for a moment you are a potter, and you create bowls from talking clay. Quite the niche you would have in today’s market, I should think. And while we are imagining things, imagine that the clay has limited ability to create itself into things, but generally these things aren’t very good. Even when it can manage to create itself into something good for the clay’s standards, it seems quite miserable sitting on a shelf next to cutlery, sculptures and vessels fit for a palace.

One day, as you are preparing a sticky hunk of clay, you notice the clay trying to shape itself into a bedpan. “Lumpy,’ you say, “We have already talked about this. Remember what happens to bedpans? I thought you wanted to be a fountain on the front lawn of the White House?” Lumpy replies, “Oh, well I thought that I could help you, I was wondering where you were because I didn’t see you, and I just really, really, really want to help.” You reply, “Well that’s nice you want to help, but your aren't worth anything unless I create it. Without my skill, you would either get ditched or you would end up codswallop. The one thing you can do is to relax and loosen up. Then I can make you into something glorious.”

I think your relationship with lumpy is somewhat like our relationship with God, only we are the clay and He is the potter. Why is it so difficult for us to be still and know He is God? Why is it so difficult to take time and humility to be shaped by His Word and Spirit? Why are we so busy doing things that are contributing to who we are, but not who God wants us to be?

I get the feeling that we want to become ready for God to use us. We want to get rid of certain sins, and we want to accomplish certain objectives, and then we will be ready for God to shape and mold us. The problem is, that by the time this happens, we have already been shaped and molded. We have been shaped by the perceptions of man who looks on the outward rather than God who desires the heart. We have been molded by the flesh, when God desires we are molded by His Words and Spirit, all the while our flesh being stripped away.

God desires that we come to Him now, with a broken and contrite heart, and find our refuge, our shape, our usefulness in Him. While we are busy preparing ourselves, He is silently waiting for us to realize the fact that no amount of preparation can ready us for being broken. No amount of effort can reverse our simple nature, it is purely the work of God in life that can prepare us for the glory in store.

But how can He work in our life if we don’t allow Him time in our schedules, our minds, and our heart? How is a potter to work without His tools? And how is clay to be shaped if it has grown hard?

The problem is, we don't want to lose control, because if we lose control of who we become, we could become anything! Well not anything............ but if we aren't reading our Bible we wouldn't know that.....................