surrender

In the Potter’s Hands

October 6, 2022 by Ellen 2 Comments

I was putty in her hands, turning into a wet noodle when she slowly massaged my sore and aching muscles. Oh, how I needed this after the stressful week I’ve had! She picked up my arm and rubbed from shoulder to fingertips. I didn’t resist. I didn’t pull back. I allowed her to move my arms, legs and neck in any direction she wished, in order to do her job. She was a professional masseuse, and knew what she was doing.

Next, she worked on the hard knots in my shoulders, and the stiffness in my neck. Her knuckles kneaded into my skin. Deeper and deeper she pushed, trying to loosen my tight muscles. As uncomfortable as this was, I knew I would be more flexible afterward.

The Lord has been working on me too. Kneading into my strong will, trying to break the knots of resistance I have; the resistance to doing His will. I push against Him, causing stress and tension in my life.

Cease striving, He tells me. Let Me do My work in you. Be flexible…your way is not THE way.

I tend to rush ahead, focused on my “to-do” list, and what I want to accomplish. With my head down, I hurry along, checking things off the list. I have tunnel vision, missing the fine details around me. I can’t even see that life is passing me by in a blur.

“Wherever you are, be all there.” Jim Elliot

Barreling forward, head hanging down so as not to be distracted, I feel the kinks forming in my neck and shoulders. I am tired, working in my own strength. I need to stretch. So I look up.

Looking up to Christ stretches and eases the tension in my body. I relax and allow Him to move me any direction He wishes. I let Him rub out the rough spots in me, molding and shaping me into a better likeness of Him. I surrender to a deeper dependance on Him.

When I am putty in Christ’s hands, He shapes me.

Day by day, I become more pliable in His hands. When I cease striving, stop working against Christ, He uses me. He allows me to join Him in His work, doing His will. I am what He makes me to be.

“Still, God, you are our Father. We’re the clay and you’re our potter: All of us are what you made us.” Isaiah 64:8 MSG

Lord, may we all be putty in Your hands, moldable into Your likeness, doing Your will. In Jesus name, Amen

Are you letting Christ knead out your resistance?

Until next week,

This post was originally published 1-9-2015

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The Day Jesus Bloomed

October 1, 2020 by Ellen 1 Comment

She came as a cutting from my sister. Just a pencil thin, three or four foot long green thing that may have had one leaf on the end. Not knowing anything about this…this thing, I stuck it in a pot that happened to have dirt in it. I had probably killed the pot’s last resident. This green stick would probably die too.

But she didn’t! She began to grow other green sticks, that felt oddly like skin covering a strong muscle. I watched her grow, until one day I saw it – a blossom! Wow! Not only did she live, but she was going to bloom! Each day I would check on the small flower. Each day it was a bit bigger, and fuller. One day, I noticed she was opening up, ever so slightly.

“Tomorrow will be the day! Tomorrow I will see what the flower will look like!” I couldn’t wait! The anticipation was killing me. This plant with her flower was slow going, and teaching me patience!

The next day I went out, and the flower was limp and drooping. She was spent.

Well, doggone it! I waited and waited, then missed the flower in all its glory!

I searched the plant app on my phone and found out this was a Queen of the Night cactus. She has brilliant blooms, but only at night.

The plant’s nickname? Christ in the Manger. That caused me to ponder on what Jesus and the flower have in common.

The world waited in great anticipation of His birth. The shepherds knew Messiah was born, because they watched the night sky and saw His star. God knew from the beginning of time when and where Jesus would be born, but all of us on earth had to wait, and wait. And still we wait for Him to come again.

I waited and waited in anticipation of the flower’s bloom.

The tiny bud of this flower forms and grows, much like the boy Jesus did. He even taught in the temple when He was twelve!^⁠1

Jesus has a short three year ministry here on earth. At what point would you say He bursts forth in full bloom, in all His glory?

At His birth?

At the miracles He performed?

At His death? Oh, no way, it was at His resurrection!

Or was it?

Perhaps it may have been when He was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.^⁠2

Three times in the garden, Jesus prayed to His Father God:

“Please take this cup of suffering from Me.”

I believe Jesus really blossomed after asking the third time. There was a slight change in His attitude. The two previous prayers, He had said “Not my will, but Yours.” However, the third time He prayed, Jesus actually surrendered to God’s will for Him.

“Get up, let’s go!”^⁠3

In other words, “Time’s a-wastin’, I must be about my Father’s business.”

In a dark corner in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus bloomed. No one saw, there was no fanfare. Just quiet, resolute surrender to God’s will for Him.

It was a subtle shift. The two disciples with Him probably missed it, because they were sleeping. Just like I missed my flower bloom.

My flower burst forth for one night in all its glory.

Jesus burst forth in surrender to God’s will, and for God’s glory.

We can bloom, too, when we surrender our will to the Father’s.

[tweetthis]We can bloom when we surrender to our Father’s will.[/tweetthis]

PS – the next time I saw a bloom, I stayed awake to take pictures…

¹Luke 2:41-52

²Matthew 26:36-46

³Matthew 26:46