There has been a lot of arguing between the kids lately.
* Yesterday morning, I read this verse during my quiet time:
Titus 3:9-10 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them.
Hmm, I should help my children avoid foolish arguments that are useless and unprofitable. I should help them to recognize their arguments as such. I may warn the person causing the argument a few times, and then separate them from me and/or the other child.
* This week's character study with the older child is on arguing. During yesterday's reading, the Titus 3:9-10 verse came up again. Another one that came up was Proverbs 17:14 - Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam, so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out. Commentary with the verse said "Help children stop quarreling before it starts. Remove the child who insists on arguing, enforce a stop to argumentative conversations."
Well, that really spoke to me, too. I need to continue teaching my children ways to avoid arguments. I've also been working to remove the argumentative child.
* Then, one more verse from our character study today:
Proverbs 22:10 Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended.
Again, remove the child who is causing the disturbance with his/her unkind words and actions, and the rest of the negative situation with diffuse.
*Another verse that came to mind today while dealing with such an issue with unkindness and arguing with the kids was Proverbs 15:1 - A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Of course, these verses could be applied in more situations than just with our children, but they have particularly blessed me over the last couple days.
Friday, May 24, 2013
The Potter's Fingerprints
I have always loved the visuals of God being the potter and us being the clay.
Jeremiah 18:1-6 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2“Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. 5Then the word of the Lord came to me. 6He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.
Isaiah 64:8 Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.
Romans 9:20-21 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ ” Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?
I love the idea of God getting His hands dirty with us when he made us (Genesis 2:7). All other parts of creation, He spoke into existence, but when he created man, he "formed the man from the dust of the ground." So here's some imagery for you: He reached down and scooped up some dirt. He started to shape it, molding it and pressing it, until it became the shape He was wanting. He got his hands dirty. It reminds me of my kids pretending to be "Egyptian brick makers" last week (who would have actually been the Israelites from the time they were discussing). They got their hands all dirty with the dirt, grass and water they used to make little bricks. Back on topic - get this: God "breathed into [man's] nostrils the breath of life." How personal and intimate is that? He didn't breathe life into the other animals, or the trees and plants - just man, who alone were created in His image (Genesis 1:27).
I recently finished a Bible study by Gari Meacham entitled Spirit Hunger. The last section of it talked about the potter and the clay imagery and gave three pottery principles.
#1 - We don't want to be the clay; we want to be the potter. How true is that? We want to make the plans and say how things should go. We want God to get in line with us rather than us having to change and be flexible to get in line with Him. We want to decide the courses of life for ourselves, our spouses, our children - and sometimes even other people!
#2 - We want to look like other pots. This principle is all about the comparisons we make. We look at others and what we can see about their lives, and we want to be like them. But sometimes that is not what God has planned for us. We want to be a pitcher, pouring out the word of God, not the vase, living the Christian life He has for us, day in and day out in our current location (home, neighborhood, apartment complex, church, local community, etc.). Or maybe it's the other way around. Do you get the idea? During this study, I found myself thinking about a certain friend one day. I have looked up to her and the wisdom she has dispensed, that has shaped my life. I love how she lives what she believes, even when they are tough convictions that not everyone else will support. I used to always think I wanted to be like her and do things like she does. The thought came into my mind that day that, although I never said it quite like this, I wanted "to be that pot." As I've grown, and as I've gotten to know her better too, I see how we are similar and how we are different. I am thankful for both. I am thankful to be "this pot."
#3 - We want the process of becoming useful to be painless, quick, and explainable. Again, another true point in our drive-through, 3G/4G (or is it even higher now?), immediate-access kind of society? We have a question and we go to the internet - either on a computer or on our phones - to find ten different answers within just a few seconds. Or we go to the drive-through at a restaurant so we can have our food right away. We want to be presented with options, make our own choice, and then get our choice right away. Same thing with life. We want our children to behave, but it's not fun to go through the process of disciplining/training them. We want a certain job, but it requires years of training. We want to look a certain way, but it takes dedication to exercise and proper nutrition. We want a perfect marriage, but we aren't willing to change, to seek outside help, to make the extra effort - we just want things to be fixed immediately with as little effort or pain as possible. And we want all the answers. Obeying "just because I said so" can be hard, no matter what age we are. There are times, we might never know the outcome of the actions we take or the words we say. It's like sending money to a cause benefiting a far-away country, when you don't get an answer about exactly how your money helped a specific person, family, church, or group of people. You have to trust and obey.
A couple months ago, I ran across a previous Bible study I'd done by Jennifer Rothschild called Fingerprints of God. During that study, all the participants tried to write down each day at least one way they had been able to see God act - the fingerprints of God - in their lives. I decided I wanted to do that task again, to keep my mind focused on how God is working around me and in me. I encourage you to do the same, if you feel so led.
So, how is the Potter getting His fingers dirty in your life today? Are you letting Him mold you and shape you? Are you willing to trust and obey? What a beautiful vessel He wants to make you!
Jeremiah 18:1-6 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2“Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. 5Then the word of the Lord came to me. 6He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.
Isaiah 64:8 Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.
Romans 9:20-21 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ ” Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?
I love the idea of God getting His hands dirty with us when he made us (Genesis 2:7). All other parts of creation, He spoke into existence, but when he created man, he "formed the man from the dust of the ground." So here's some imagery for you: He reached down and scooped up some dirt. He started to shape it, molding it and pressing it, until it became the shape He was wanting. He got his hands dirty. It reminds me of my kids pretending to be "Egyptian brick makers" last week (who would have actually been the Israelites from the time they were discussing). They got their hands all dirty with the dirt, grass and water they used to make little bricks. Back on topic - get this: God "breathed into [man's] nostrils the breath of life." How personal and intimate is that? He didn't breathe life into the other animals, or the trees and plants - just man, who alone were created in His image (Genesis 1:27).
I recently finished a Bible study by Gari Meacham entitled Spirit Hunger. The last section of it talked about the potter and the clay imagery and gave three pottery principles.
#1 - We don't want to be the clay; we want to be the potter. How true is that? We want to make the plans and say how things should go. We want God to get in line with us rather than us having to change and be flexible to get in line with Him. We want to decide the courses of life for ourselves, our spouses, our children - and sometimes even other people!
#2 - We want to look like other pots. This principle is all about the comparisons we make. We look at others and what we can see about their lives, and we want to be like them. But sometimes that is not what God has planned for us. We want to be a pitcher, pouring out the word of God, not the vase, living the Christian life He has for us, day in and day out in our current location (home, neighborhood, apartment complex, church, local community, etc.). Or maybe it's the other way around. Do you get the idea? During this study, I found myself thinking about a certain friend one day. I have looked up to her and the wisdom she has dispensed, that has shaped my life. I love how she lives what she believes, even when they are tough convictions that not everyone else will support. I used to always think I wanted to be like her and do things like she does. The thought came into my mind that day that, although I never said it quite like this, I wanted "to be that pot." As I've grown, and as I've gotten to know her better too, I see how we are similar and how we are different. I am thankful for both. I am thankful to be "this pot."
#3 - We want the process of becoming useful to be painless, quick, and explainable. Again, another true point in our drive-through, 3G/4G (or is it even higher now?), immediate-access kind of society? We have a question and we go to the internet - either on a computer or on our phones - to find ten different answers within just a few seconds. Or we go to the drive-through at a restaurant so we can have our food right away. We want to be presented with options, make our own choice, and then get our choice right away. Same thing with life. We want our children to behave, but it's not fun to go through the process of disciplining/training them. We want a certain job, but it requires years of training. We want to look a certain way, but it takes dedication to exercise and proper nutrition. We want a perfect marriage, but we aren't willing to change, to seek outside help, to make the extra effort - we just want things to be fixed immediately with as little effort or pain as possible. And we want all the answers. Obeying "just because I said so" can be hard, no matter what age we are. There are times, we might never know the outcome of the actions we take or the words we say. It's like sending money to a cause benefiting a far-away country, when you don't get an answer about exactly how your money helped a specific person, family, church, or group of people. You have to trust and obey.
A couple months ago, I ran across a previous Bible study I'd done by Jennifer Rothschild called Fingerprints of God. During that study, all the participants tried to write down each day at least one way they had been able to see God act - the fingerprints of God - in their lives. I decided I wanted to do that task again, to keep my mind focused on how God is working around me and in me. I encourage you to do the same, if you feel so led.
So, how is the Potter getting His fingers dirty in your life today? Are you letting Him mold you and shape you? Are you willing to trust and obey? What a beautiful vessel He wants to make you!
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