We are clay in the Potter's hands

Over the past few weeks—or has it been months?—I have heard several people say things that make me wonder if they “get it”. One of my friends has an acquaintance with a “man” who feels “trapped in a woman’s body.” There have been quite a few stories lately of children who have been “diagnosed” with a “condition” that is “cured” by “gender reassignment.” These are children under the age of 10! They don’t even realize what “gender” is yet! How can they be confused? Are the doctors and the parents of these children saying God made a mistake?

Then there are those who say, “I hate my life!” Or, “Life sucks!” Or, “Why does everything bad happen to me?” Or, “What did I do to God to deserve this?”

We have to remember that God does not cause bad things to happen. He can’t—Everything about the Nature of God is good. If you know your Bible at all, you’ll find in Genesis that everything God made and continues to make is good. He allows bad things to happen so that our faith and free will can be tested. A good thing to remember also is that He will never give us more than we are capable of handling, regardless of what we think. He knows our limitations better than we do. And, whether we realize it or not, He sends His Holy Spirit to help us. We only need to be open to receiving His help.

We do not always realize that we are being formed by the events and circumstances of our lives. Sometimes in retrospect, the "pieces" of our life make sense and we can see the hand of God in what has happened.

Jeremiah makes reference to clay in the hands of the potter, a clear image of how God can be forming us throughout our lives. The gospel of Luke depicts a change in Martha with the death of her brother, Lazarus. Earlier Mary sat quietly at the feet of Christ while Martha busied herself with food preparations. This time Martha seeks out Christ and expresses an act of faith, believing that Christ could have prevented the death of her brother.

It is a challenge sometimes remaining open to the events that can change us. Events can be wasted on us if we spend our energy reacting negatively instead of leaning gracefully and lovingly into the hands of the Potter, God Himself.