Pottery

 Yesterday when I was praying with a friend, we were approached and asked to pray for another friend’s daughter who apparently is strong willed in nature.  Having two rather strong-willed daughters myself (who come by this trait quite naturally), I laughed.  I immediately felt bad about my reaction because I want to be able to help and guide other parents but really and truly, I don’t always know what I’m doing and looking back I generally find ways I should have approached things differently.  So, this morning I spent some time praying for wisdom both for myself and to pass along.  It was amazing because as I prayed, I felt like God gave me such a clear picture.  

 The Bible tells us that God is the potter and we are the clay.  I took a pottery class in college and it’s not as easy as it looks to do it well.  In order for our pieces to be graded the professor cut into each of them to confirm that there were no air bubbles in the clay causing them to explode in the kiln and to make sure that the walls were uniform in thickness.  As a result, I didn’t get to actually fire any of my pieces because I handed over the best ones to ensure my GPA didn’t suffer.   I digress though… 

 

The picture that came to my mind was that of a potter first throwing down a piece of clay onto the wheel.  As you shape it, you must apply pressure, but the level of pressure must be consistent and precise.  If you apply too much, you’ll end up pushing the whole piece of clay out of alignment.  If you apply too little, it doesn’t do anything and stays an unusable blob.  


With our children, God ultimately is the potter.  But He does call us to be like Him and model our behavior after His.  As parents, it’s critical to keep that perfect balance of perfectly pressing in, without pushing away.  We want to pull our children upward, while preparing them both for a life of service, but also as empty vessels waiting to be filled.  

 

I’ve been guilty of both mistakes- pressing harder than I should as well as letting things go that I shouldn’t have.  Here’s the thing about clay and kids though.  They’re fairly forgiving.  As long as you keep the clay moist, it stays fairly pliable.  Water does amazing things- living water is the most amazing!  If we keep pointing them to Christ as we work and shape, they won’t crack and break- they’ll become vessels to be used by Him!






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