Sunday Blogvotional: Clay In His Hands

Ask any experienced potter and they will tell you that creating a great piece of pottery takes time.  Rarely is the finished product created without a few flops along the way.  The clay needs to be made smooth - more malleable otherwise it can't be worked with.  When the clay is hard, water must be added.  In the process of forming a piece of pottery, some sections of the clay may need extra massaging in order to get the right shape.  A dedicated potter keeps working until the piece is finished and is pleased with his creation.  

We see in scripture the analogy that God is the potter and we are the clay.  We, as clay pieces, are not always easy to work with.  Sometimes our attitudes dry us out and we get cracked.  Sometimes God uses a little water (the little rain of trials) to get us to the right texture so that He can mold us.  This may be uncomfortable to go through but in the end we will not be just a lump on the Artist's bench.  We will be lovingly and carefully molded into a beautiful and useful piece of art.  Just like a potter, God is dedicated.  He never stops working on us until He's made us what He wants us to be.

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

Encouragement of the week:  Know this - that God loves us enough not to leave us where we are but to lead us to where (and who) He knows we can be.  Life can be difficult at times.  But in those hard times, God is using them to shape us into something beautiful.