Pop Quiz Time

"But now, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are the potter; we are all the work of your hand."  -Isaiah 64:8

 "Please take out a piece of paper and your pencil."  Were those words you dreaded in school?  The unexpected test on a subject you had not paid a lot of attention to in class?

I've been looking back at old blog posts on this blog and my other blogs where I wrote about lessons I have learned.  It's been enlightening to see all these years later, whether or not I have indeed learned the lesson I wrote about.  It got me to thinking about my 12 years in school and how when we leave school we think because we know it all now we are no longer going to be tested on the lessons we will continue to learn just by living.  In most cases though, when the lesson is being administered, instead of saying, "Oh, this is what I need to see/do," we complain, get angry or depressed and look for a work around solution!  I suppose while some were still in a structured school, they may have played hooky on test day or cheated. In the long run that did not serve them.  The rest of us did learn something and used it to get jobs or enrich our lives in some way, so why did we think we were done with tests?

Now life experiences are our school.  Things would be much easier if we'd just expect to be tested to see whether or not we learned the lesson from the experience.  These experiences don't all have to be what we call "bad" experiences.   Pleasant experiences are lessons, too, because those will remind us to appreciate those times and learn to not only be grateful, but to express thanks to those who helped make the experience pleasant.

I was reminded in one of my old posts that God is the potter and I am the clay.  My part is to not resist Him as He shapes and molds me as He intended me to be.  God is saying to me....

Relax, enjoy where you are right now, right here, as things are.  I will open the gate when you are ready.  You'll be dressed and prepared for the next part of your journey.  You won't need to slog through the wind and rain, the mud or slippery ice-covered steps.  The way is being smoothed out for you.

When I read that I immediately thought of the mouse in the photo.  We have been trapping mice who got the idea our garage, basement workroom, and attic were a good place to spend the winter.  We've be using humane traps that we check each morning.  I've noticed that they've all been quite relaxed, just patiently waiting by the entrance to the trap.  I'm driving them 2 miles away to a state park to release them.  Some will shoot out of the trap when I raise the door while some have to be shaken out to get them to leave.  

Isn't that just like us?!  God opens doors for us at the right time, but some of us are reluctant to leave what we know.  So I'm realizing there are two lessons here.  One is my need to wait patiently until God opens the door, but the second lesson is I need to trust Him once that door is opened.

Father, it does no good to "learn a lesson" but then not apply it to our lives.  It must get from our head to our heart so that we can grow and blossom as You intended.

Link to Scripture:  Romans 12:2

Take Action:  The Clay in the Hands of the Potter