Getting Out of the Way

“O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the LORD. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!” Jeremiah 18:6 (New King James Version)

I have often enjoyed watching the program CLEAN HOUSE. The idea is for the designers to come into a house that is a complete mess, sell as many items as they can in a garage sale, use the money to help finance a house make-over, clean the house, and present the home owners with an unbelievable improvement. I have watched as people get their first view of what has been done. Mouths drop open, tears fall, and gratitude is abundant. But sad to say, there are actually people who get in the way and limit what the designers want to do. They have a hard time giving up anything and once they finally allow things to be put up for sale they are out there reclaiming the items. They had two problems. They resisted change and they didn’t trust the designers. In the end the designers are not always able to do all that they had wanted to do.

It has not taken much for God to show me the similarities between these people and myself in a spiritual realm. I, too, have resisted change, reclaimed things I once yielded, and found myself blocking the Designer of my life. I say I want to be transformed. I say I want God to have His way in my life. I say I want Him to do what is for His glory and my good. But when it comes down to the actual process I see myself resisting His work. Like the people on CLEAN HOUSE, I often resist change and lack trust in the Designer. This revelation has woken me up!

I don’t want to get to the end of my life and realize God had so much more to do in me and through me than I allowed. And I don’t want my time here on earth to be spent embracing the very things He wants to replace. His ways are higher than my ways. His plans are better than my plans. He understands my tears and my fears and with each He simply says, “Trust Me. Cooperate with Me. Yield to Me.” Whatever or whomever He chooses to remove from my life, He removes with nail scarred hands and a love filled heart. His exchanges are NEVER a down scale interaction. They are always an improvement!

So this morning, I once again take His hand and choose to embrace His grace rather than my pain. His freedom rather than my fear. His joy rather than my sorrow. He never said it would be easy but He did say it would be worth it! I am ready to get out of the way as He works to woo me to Himself and make me like Himself.

Father, You know me better than anyone else does. I am finally ready to trust You with abandon. Have Your way and will in my life. Amen.