When It All Seems Difficult and You Want To Quit

So, sometimes in one week you catch glimpses of the heart of the Father in the brave women that surround you.

She clothes herself in humility as she pushes the send button on her phone. No hidden agenda except to bring glory to her Father. Longing to have less of herself and more of Him.

I stood in the bathroom finishing my nightly routine when my phone lit up with an unexpected text from my dear friend.

“In all honesty, and no this is not a trick question….are there some areas in my life and my walk with God that you see I need to improve on? Seriously. I want to be the best I can be for God. And then for my family. I don’t want to be a cactus. And so I want to check areas that may be thorny.”

Humility gives permission to a friend to speak truth into their life, even when that truth may hurt a little.

Pride will remain in the heart unless released in the form of humility.

“…humility comes before honor” Proverbs 15:33.

Bare your soul completely before Him to allow His love to penetrate the deep places of your heart.

I read this story to the children, because isn’t that what we do as mothers: inspire our children to engage deeper and all the while we are the ones being inspired.

And I read how there was this master potter who taught his apprentice the learned skill of spinning clay into a master piece. Just when the apprentice thought the master had the piece perfectly sculpted he would crush it and start again. No word was spoken from the master potter, he simply began spinning and reshaping again.

Jeremiah 18:1 – 6
“Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I shall announce My words to you.”
Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel.
But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.
Then the word of the Lord came to me saying,
“Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”

So maybe your vessel isn’t taking the shape you expected, so maybe you become a little spoiled, so maybe you pace about in a restless silence feeling a little entitled to more.

I should be used more. I deserve more.

Sometimes the Potter has to gently recreate what has already been made when He sees an imperfection. Kindly, yet firmly He places pressure to rework stubborn areas. Pounding the clay back into a lump and starting again.

Humility allows the Potter to crush the self will in order to be fully used by its Master.

Clay shaped by the potter becomes a useful vessel. It becomes a vessel useful for the Master’s purpose.

Surrender your will. Surrender to the process, even if it seems difficult and challenging. Only the Master’s will is important.

But once the process of reshaping has been completed the time comes for the vessel to be used for service. See all the pressure, all the difficulties shape us into the master piece He had in mind all along.

Humility views the potter’s wheel as a time of opportunity, a time to grow. A time to be shaped and recreated into a useful vessel.

Skipping the difficult process will only harm the vessel from being fully used.

The Lord has a reputation for creating masterpieces, renowned for His great beauty, but there are not many who are willing to stay on His wheel long enough to allow Him to create the finished product.

Running from the process will only prolong your destiny.

“Humble yourself before the Lord and He will exalt you” James 4:10.

Yeah I can see how I am on the Potter’s wheel and I say yes to the process. I yield my heart to you Jesus!!

You are the only one who gets to decide if you stay on the wheel…