Kids & Parenting

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Wow what a strange title for an article. So, what clay am I talking about? I would like for you to spend some time focusing on the verse, “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. Have you ever watched a potter work with clay? What is the clay’s “job” in the potter’s hands? The clay sits there and is willingly molded by the potter’s hands. The clay does not say, “Excuse me but I really think you are going about this all wrong.” The clay does not say, “Could you take a little off my hips and thighs, there?” The clay allows itself to be molded. The clay trusts the potter to do what is right.
What happens when the potter takes their hands off the clay and the wheel is spinning? The clay usually crumbles into a huge mess. The potter then reforms the clay and starts again. Have you noticed that the potter often adds water or takes off pieces of the clay while they are working? The potter has an idea of the finished the product the clay does not.
I’m sure you can see where I’m headed with this. Oh, dear Mom do you allow God to be the potter and you be the clay. Can you rest in him and totally abandon yourself to his care and direction? Can you allow him to mold you and take off some of the rough spots knowing that in the end it will be for His glory?
Or do you sometimes say, “God you have one week or one month to get this worked out in my life or I’m taking charge and doing it myself!” We may not actually say something to that effect, but that is how we live our lives. We want to be in charge and in control. We can see from the potter and clay example when the potter takes his hands off, what a mess we become. God will let us make our own messes. How much better it is to let him be in control. Resting in God’s care, direction, and comfort is not always easy, but it is best. God’s timing is always right on time, never too early or too late. Can we really trust that God is the potter and we are the clay?
May I encourage you for 2006 to be the clay and allow God to be the potter. Learn to trust him with every issue in your life and let him mold you in his likeness.

© 2005 Kimberly Chastain
About the Author
Kimberly Chastain, MS, LMFT is the Christian Working Mom Coach and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She was recently featured in the book the Myth of the Perfect Mother. She is the author of “Help My Preteen/Teenager is Driving Me Nuts!!!” To purchase a copy of this e-book please visit www.kimberlychastain.com/parenting. To schedule a free, initial coaching session send an email to [email protected] or visit http://www.christianworkingmom.com.
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