“But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”
Isaiah 64:8
God’s encouragement…
We are the work of God’s hands. I pause and contemplate this. Being formed by the Potter is a very personal experience. It’s gentle, hands-on work. Each creation is unique from all others. He knows our purpose in His kingdom and uses every ounce of our clay to create us. In His hands, nothing is wasted, not even times of trial. This is what encourages me.
During the years I felt far from God, the trials in my life caused only pain. I sometimes felt like I was being sculpted with a chisel and mallet. It felt like pieces of me were being knocked off and lost. I wanted everything to go back to the way it was before…before my parents’ divorce, before my mom’s alcoholism, before my bad decisions. I wanted restoration to a time that made sense to me so I could get my bearings again. But turning back the clock is simply not possible.
Instead, God has taught me to think differently about the trials in my life. While my past wasn’t changed, He allowed me to see things in a new light. He used a time of great trial to draw me to Him. I surrendered at last because I needed Him! In the years since that happened He has shown me that my trials did not diminish me. Nothing was lost through them. He has allowed me to see that—in His hands—they became tools to shape me into a unique person who is loved by Him. God was always with me, offering comfort. It was me who refused to receive it.
The hope I feel in sharing the Gospel message now comes from knowing that I am the work of His hands! I am answering His call to comfort and encourage others through His word. I can pattern my desire to comfort others through their trials based on the way He comforted me through mine.
To assemble a list to link to other posts from a category, click the category tag at the top of the page, or visit the Posts page.
To learn more about my journey with God, visit these pages: Robin’s Journey for an overview | my first season: Baptized and Taught | my second season: Loss & Lost | my third season: Pursued & Awakened | my fourth season: Welcomed & Transforming | my fifth season: Proclaiming
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