December 30, 2011
Handcrafted
My husband is learning wood turning on his lathe and he describes one
of his projects as a bowl that turned into a plate and wound up being a
toothpick holder. His most recent creation is a vase that swapped ends when a
chunk of wood fell out of the base and the bottom became the top. I wonder if
God has some of the same issues with us when we’re on the Potter’s wheel. “…Shall what is formed say to him who formed
it, ‘Why did you make me like this? Does not the potter have the
right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and
some for common use?” (Ro 9:20b-21 NIV)
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2 comments:
Gail;
-----One of the arguments I like listening to is that one between free-will and predestination. I usually don’t care to get involved in it because I hold to both sides. So no matter who I debate the issue with, it isn’t as much a debate as it is an agreement in which I may even get accused of being wishy-washy.
-----What you’ve described as Bill’s lathing adventures matches real closely what I see as our lives on God’s potter’s wheel. I think I’m the toothpick holder. He does give us the decision to come to Him or not. The fact that He transcends time, knowing whether we will decide before we do decide and has indeed even set a course for history of which each of us is a minuscule cog upon one of it’s innumerable gears ticking out that purpose He set beforehand is fun discussion for another time. Aside from gazing into the entire crystalline structure of time and space, He participates with each of us at the network of situations that are our small lives. Only from this network comes our ability to perceive and our tendencies to think certain things. In that regard alone, into what culture at what time we were born and what set of uncontrollable circumstances befell us influenced the casting of our thoughts in their directions. Much of what has a shaping effect upon us is controlled by Him whether it comes upon us through other people or not. But we soon begin participating in the generation of those situations by controlling what of them we can. At some certain time an individual may even be able to pack up and relocate, changing his situations drastically. Yet he will continue to encounter more elements of life happening to him than he creates himself.
-----“A man’s mind plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9) I understand that a person is less made by what has happened to him and more by how he responds to what has happened to him. In this sense I ponder what it is to refuse the will of God or accept the will of God. Either choice still participates in your production upon His potter’s wheel. Each of us can choose one of many different paths for any response to anything, but only certain ones have beneficial destinations. “In the path of righteousness is life.” (Prov 10:29) Whatever can be said of who is ultimately responsible for the choice of a path, God retains His right to lay His hands upon us as He wills in order to craft what and how our lives will contribute to the service of His ultimate purpose.
-----The Greeks debated away the place of the Fates before the birth of Christ. When it comes to eternal life or death, I'm glad they got that done! Not really that they had anything to do with it. But when it comes to life's situations and even to many of our more general and personal tendencies, there seems to be this very real "potter's wheel" effect they maybe should reconsider.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
Me again. I just want to add that the making of something beautiful takes time, just as God working in us takes time to make us look like Jesus.
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