To Be Formed By God

To be formed by God means waiting:
waiting for the right moment
waiting for the right condition
waiting for the right opportunity.
It means waiting until I am ready
to sit on the Potter’s wheel.

To be formed by God means darkness:
it means sitting in the dark clay-bin
feeling very alone and forgotten.
It means enduring the darkness
being cured by time
prepared by patience
readied by resting in the darkness.

To be formed by God means
learning to yield –
my will, my desire, my life—
first to the darkness
then to the hands of the Potter.
It means stillness:
stillness in the darkness
stillness on the wheel
stillness under the pressure
of the Potter’s persistent hand.

To be formed by God
is to allow God’s fingers to press
deep into my most unyielding center
to squeeze out all the air bubbles
that can cause fractures and cracks
when I face the fire.
It means allowing God the freedom
to crush me when I need to be crushed
to scrape me up when I get off center
to press me into whatever shape pleases the Potter.

To be formed by God means
learning to trust the Potter
trust in his love
trust in his wisdom
trust in his will
trusting that no matter how hard it may seem
or how painful and difficult it may be
the Potter is the only one who knows me
and can shape me into a vessel
for his use
for his glory
for his purpose.