Crushed by God

Yesterday our daughter Leah and I were invited to the house of our friends, where they were having a potluck lunch, a small group Bible study on “Abundant Living,” and a Superbowl party. Call me sheltered, but I’ve never been to a Superbowl party before. I was excited about it.

Our hostess, Ruth, was recording the game, and since the men were in another room eating chips and dip, we were able to fast-forward through the game to the commercials and chat.  What fun! We did watch the last exciting 5 minutes of the game, though.

For the potluck, we had taco soup (which had guacamole in it – YUM!), and in our small group Bible study, we discussed the spiritual gifts, as well as personality. Our small group leader, Dave, gave us a personality profile test by Dr. Gary Smalley, using animals to represent the four types of personality: Otter, Lion, Beaver, Golden Retriever (other personality profile tests label these Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholy, and Phlegmatic). Our gifts, our personality, our intelligence, our talents, our skills, our likes and dislikes, all make up part of who we are, the unique person God created us to be for a unique calling and purpose.

While there, I was looking at Dave’s and Ruth’s bookcases, and my heart quickened as I saw a book on one of the shelves: Master Potter by Jill Austin. I’d never read it or even heard of it, but I was so excited because my friend Shelley Valasek and I just had a webinar called The Master’s Hands, on the topic of the Potter and the clay!

Ruth said I could borrow the book, and last night I lay in bed, reading it voraciously. The book is an allegory of God the Potter and us the clay. I was especially struck by what Jill wrote on page 92:

“How will I ever become what I saw in that vision? You’d have to practically start all over and completely remake me.” (Beloved the clay, representing you and me, is speaking to the Potter, who is Christ)

“Master Potter’s eyes look deeply into hers, and large tears well up. Slowly, sadly, He tells her, “You’re right, I do have to start over. To fulfill the marvelous destiny I have for your life, I must crush you into fine dust, but I promise not to lose even one particle of you. Each particle, like the hairs on your head, is numbered by Me. I will take you to My wheel, and from your dust, make you into that lovely pitcher.”

“Please, Lord, No! I don’t want to be crushed! I don’t want to hurt any more.”

“This process is a necessary part of making you into that beautiful vessel, Beloved. But you will have to trust me. The only crushing you’ve ever known has been abusive and painful; it was intended by the enemy to destroy you. My crushing is deeply rooted in My redemptive love to heal you. It will hurt for a moment, but the freedom and joy it brings will last through eternity.”

I must crush you into fine dust.

Have you ever been crushed by God? It’s painful. You just want the hurt to stop. But it’s to heal you, humble you, and set you free.

“Beloved closes her eyes, clenches her fists, inhales deeply and blurts out, “Yes, Lord, I’m willing.” (p. 93)

Are you?

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I am rescheduling my portion of The Master’s Hands webinar soon, as we went into “overtime” during the webinar. If you want to be first to hear about when this webinar will be scheduled and upcoming webinars with  other anointed speakers, be sure to sign up on my mailing list with your name and email address. You’ll also receive my free special report when you sign up.

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