Why We Can’t Rip the Band-Aid Off
The shelves in my home are adorned with the many clay figurines that my children made in their early years. The colorful monkey face, the little fish, the tiny bowl, and Mr. Crooked Snowman are some of my favorite earthly treasures. I’ve never had the heart to pack them away and put them out of sight.
My daughter is blessed with a gift. She’s very artistic. I remember so vividly her little hands molding and forming her master pieces on her pottery wheel. She would spend hours working and working to make what she envisioned. And in the end despite some imperfections the little clay figures turned out just perfect.
Starting in Genesis Chapter 2:7, the Bible references man formed from clay. “Then the Lord formed the man from dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils and the man became a living person.” The first molding began when God created the Heavens, the Earth, and Adam.
“Go down to the potters shop, and I will speak to you there. So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.” Jeremiah 18
Think about those last two words written by Jeremiah, “started over.” We are the clay and God is the potter constantly molding us, reshaping us, and bringing us closer and closer to perfection in his eyes. He sees our imperfections over and over again yet he remains at the wheel molding; never leaving us to just harden and break.
One morning at our church’s annual Women’s Retreat I had the pleasure of meeting and enjoying my breakfast with one of the sweetest souls I’ve ever met. We were reflecting on the speakers and how the Holy Spirit was moving in a big way; exposing strongholds and sinful natures in almost every woman. God was molding these women and tough conversations of the heart were happening.
Reflecting on my own experience I jokingly said, “yeah I just wish God would rip the bandaid off.” Truthfully speaking, my organized and type A self just wanted everything to be exposed at once so I could have my checklist of what to work on! In her sweet voice she looked at me and said “God doesn’t do that because you could not handle all the truths he’d reveal.” OUCH!
After reading the Potter and the Clay recently in Jeremiah her words finally made total sense! When we give our lives to Christ he begins shaping us from the inside. So how does he do this? Well first of all, God never takes his hands off the clay. If we commit to praying and studying the Bible every day God will reveal to us where he’s working in our lives. Perhaps it’s a conviction of gossiping in the workplace, perhaps it’s the realization that you aren’t managing your finances correctly, or perhaps it’s working through heartache and disappointment when your plans don’t work out the way you intended. Through this process the band-aid is slowly torn away.
My friend and mentor has been actively seeking God every morning for over 20 years and God is still speaking to her and revealing truths. He’s still molding her! The Bible is a living and active word that never grows old! I’m absolutely convinced the molding process takes a lifetime.
Let’s talk about the crushing part. That sounds painful right?! Well yes it is. Through the crushing, God will reveal to us the areas where we are REALLY falling short in our Christian journey. Most specifically in my own journey it always comes down to fully trusting Him and I when I continue to TRY and do life in my own will. As I was studying Matthew 14 earlier this year I read a commentary that stuck with me. “God sends storms in our lives to either correct us or perfect us.” Let’s just say I’ve had some big storms lately!
Through the molding and the crushing God is working to teach us something. We just have to listen and recognize his hand is always on the clay! He loves us so much and wants to show us how we can live with joy and peace, trust and not fear in our short journey on this earth. In the end he’s ultimately preparing our hearts for His kingdom beyond this world. What is he trying to teach you right now?
“And yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand.” Isaiah 64:8
Even as a Christian we live in the human flesh. We still sin and make bad decisions. We have faults and tons of shortcomings. We often believe but don’t fully trust. We say things we shouldn’t and often work in our own will. Trust me! Yet when we come before our Father and ask forgivenesses; he already knows. He’s already been working at the wheel molding and shaping you. It’s the “barely ripping off the band aid a little at a time” that yields the most beautiful kingdom bound masterpiece.
Love you all!
Heather
Rooted Women’s Ministry
