As parents, we all try to mold our children in different ways. We provide them with learning experiences such as music or swimming lessons. We teach them to socialize by making play dates with others, or taking them to nursery school. We may send them to camp or take them to different places on vacation. We expose them to libraries and restaurants and museums and concerts. We set rules for living well and let them suffer the consequences when they break those rules. Our ultimate goal is to help them live a productive and contented life.
Well, God is our Father, and He is interested in molding us as well. Listen to these verses from Jeremiah 18:1-5:
“The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ‘Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.’ So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at the wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.
Then the word of the Lord came to me: ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as the potter has done?'”
Everything that happens in our lives is sent by our Father to change us into the vessel he wants us to be. Some of the things that change us are really good; others are challenging; and yet others seem to break us open completely. The Bible tells us that:
“For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11
God, our Father, wants the best for us. The good things we receive from His hand are cause for gratitude; the painful things are too, for they are all part of the individual learning experience God has tailored for every one of us.
What will you learn from what God sends you today?
Lutheran Ladies Connection 