Why is shaping so hard?

Ever prayed that God would shape you? Ever wondered why it has to be so hard?

Let’s think about it. Imagine two pieces of clay; one will be made into a standard shaped vessel, we’ll name it Vessel A, and another into a very intricate vessel, and we’ll name it Vessel B. Which would take more shaping?

Certainly Vessel B.

If for a moment, we hypothetically imagined that those vessels could feel pain. Which would feel more pain during the shaping process? Vessel A or B?

Yes, Vessel B.

If we now think of our current “vessels;” we in our current state and compare that to the image of God that we are being transformed into (2 Cor. 3:18). Would this image of God be closer to Vessel A or B? Perhaps closer to Vessel B, but infinitely more beautiful and awesome and glorious!

Is it any wonder that moving from our current vessel towards becoming more and more like this glorious vessel would be painful? We’re not talking about taking the form of just any simple vessel… we’re talking about being deeply transformed unto His perfect image! And how far that image is from my current state!

My prayer is that we not shy away from God’s shaping, albeit painful. For the result is SO worth it! It is nothing short of glorious! It is “perfect” as C.S. Lewis powerfully states; “The blows of his chisel, which hurt us so much, are what make us perfect.”

But my friends, let me remind myself and you, that we are not left in the hands of a cruel potter who slams at us with his strong hammer… “for he wounds but he binds; he shatters, but his hands heal” (Job 5:18), “a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench” (Is. 42:3).

This is the same God who wept over Jerusalem, who wept over Lazarus, who weeps over you and me. This is the same God who “did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8). He endured excruciating pain for you and me; “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Is. 53:3). He entered into our pain. With our every shaping, with our every tear, He is right there feeling every blow with us!

This is a God we can fully trust. We are safe in His hands. But just like any good parent knows, it’s so much easier not to discipline our kids, but it’s so much more loving to do so. As C.S. Lewis succinctly puts it, “Love, in its own nature, demands the perfecting of the beloved.” 

So will we allow God to perfect His beloved? With eyes upon our ultimate reality, our final destination, our eternal home, our wedding feast… let us cry out, “Lord, have your way in me! Perfect me for you are worthy of a perfect bride!”