Sunday’s sermon admonished us to allow God to mold us–to fulfill his plan through us. It was a good sermon and I’m taking it to heart. But, as can often happen, the real meat of the morning came during the children’s sermon.
Our pastor asked the children gathered around him if they ever played with Play-Doh. Of course they did. Then he asked them if the Play-Doh ever talked back to them and asked to be shaped in certain ways. This was clearly a funny idea. The pastor then went on to say that people are like clay to God, only as He shapes the clay, it often talks back, complains and offers suggestions. Laughter.
So, he asked, what kind of clay is easier to work with? The kind that allows you to shape it? Or the kind that talks back? Oh, the “nice,” quiet kind, the kids agreed. The pastor wrapped things up by saying that God has a plan for each child and is working to shape them into something specific. He encouraged them to follow God’s plan rather than their own.
Then, a six-year-old summed things up perfectly. “Fine,” he said. “What’s the plan?”
Ah-ha. My question exactly. I want to follow God’s plan. I mean, it’s perfect. Of course I want to follow God’s plan. It’s just that I’d really, really like him to lay it all out for me. And he likes to hear from me, so maybe once the plan is laid out, I could offer just a teensy bit of input. You know, not to change it. Just to tweak it a little.
Sigh. Clearly, this is not how following God’s plan works. All I can do is pray, study, worship and do my best to follow what my heart tells me the plan is right now. Write the next novel. Revise the current one. Learn all I can. Work hard at my job. Love my family. Love other people. Follow Jesus even when it doesn’t look like He’s going the direction I had in mind.
Oh yeah. Out of all the amazing things Jesus said to us, he never once said this would be easy.
“Have Thine own way, Lord. Have Thine own way.
Thou art the Potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.”