God's Pottery

Last Sunday our sermon was on the passage from Mark where Jesus sent "Legion" into the pigs. If you are not familiar with the passage it involves a man who had many stubborn demons living in him. Nobody could get them to leave the man. Then Jesus came along and when He told them to come out they asked if they could go live in the herd of pigs that was nearby. Jesus allowed that and when they did the pigs ran over a cliff and drown in water below. To go along with the subject, a lot of our song service consisted of songs about letting God have control. One of those songs was "Have Thine Own Way." Anytime I sing that song I always wonder if I really mean it. When you listen to the verses it can be scary telling God that He's the potter, I'm the clay, mold me however you want and need to. What if I want to be a cup and He wants me to be a pitcher? Or what if I want to be a decorative vase and He wants me to be a cooking dish? I really want some say in how I'm molded and made. I don't want to be kneaded or fired as pottery is. I want life to be easy - worry free and with no hardships.

As I sing that song though I realized the bottom line is that whether I mean the words or not doesn't really matter because they are true. God is the potter and I am the clay. I can yield to Him and accept it or I can fight it, but either way it's going to happen. The good news is that He is not a disinterested potter that mass produces throw away pieces. He is a loving caring molder of lives with the goal of having us be with Him for eternity. When I keep that in mind it's easier to say "Have thine own way, Lord" and mean it.