Formative vs Deformative Suffering

Hi,

This morning when I read the below copied devotional from Words of Hope devotional, it reminded me of a Christian Coach Leslie Vernick's mention of "Formative vs Deformative suffering". 

Me thinks, some of us are being lumped, others are being kneaded, others on the wheel spinning, while few others are being broken as God reshapes, so HE has to get us out and add more softening agents before putting us back on the wheel; while others are in oven, ouch!!! And it gets hotter and hotter; but remember HIS hand is on the knob and His eyes are on us. When HE thinks less or more heat is needed, HE knows when to turn the knob up or down. And yet others are being seasoned before being painted. So meanwhile wherever we are placed together, it's ok to comfort and talk how painful the process is. God perhpas smiles and says that's ok, keep empowering each other. Later on you'll all be smiling in MY showcase making me and others smile, how beautifully you are shaped. Let the process be hopefully joyful even while it's painful. -KC (Kalpana) 

In the Potter’s Hands

February 14, 2021 

Read: Jeremiah 18:1-11 

Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words. (v. 2) Clay is a complex medium. One careless movement of the potter’s hand renders the vessel under formation unsightly or worthless. Clay is also very forgiving. Of course if the vessel becomes deformed, it can simply be removed from the wheel, watered and kneaded. It is ready to be remade. Unless, of course, it is allowed to harden in place. God compared his people to a lump of clay and himself the potter. For centuries, God’s people resisted their potter’s hands. Their only hope was for him to pick them up, break them down, and reshape them into a vessel worthy of bearing his love. 

We too insist on shaping ourselves. We take pride in designing our identities and dictating the course of our lives. From our perspective, we look well-formed. From God’s perspective, we are incomplete. The more set we are in our ways, the more painful God’s work is. For God to have his way, he must pick us up, break us down, and reshape us. 

The true sign of a devoted potter is his refusal to let an unformed vessel harden in place. The true sign of God’s devotion to us is that he never stops working on us. Paul wrote, “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10 NIV). Our Lord is the master artist. If we let him, he will make us his masterpiece. —Ben Van Arragon 

As you pray, commit your life to the potter’s hands. Words of Hope devotional

Jeremiah 18:1-11 (NivUK)

At the potter’s house

18 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.’ 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But 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.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me. 6 He 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. 7 If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, 8 and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. 9 And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, 10 and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.
11 ‘Now, therefore, say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, “This is what the Lord says: look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.”

Faith that works!

I have been pondering on this Bible story of the woman with the 12 years of blood issue. 

Matthew 9:20-22 New International Version 

20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” 22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment. 

Mark 5:25-34 New International Version 

25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. 30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” 

Luke 8:43-48 New International Version 

43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years,[a] but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. 45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” 47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”   

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Here are some great points that I see. 

She had faith.

She didn't passively accept her suffering as her lot.

She didn't blame God. 

She chose to overcome shame. 

She tried all she could to get well. 

She spent all she had to get help from EVERY physician she heard of. 

She tried all measures and cures. NO change! But...

She was not a quitter. 

She didn't give up. Then.....

She heard of this kind, caring, dynamic Yeshua, the Healer, who instantly healed people. So different, so simple, so down to earth! Ah!!!! Hope revitalized.

She decided she was going to try this. She had faith and she put it into action. 

Catch this: She didn't even think she needed to send a "messenger" to request a healing meeting. No advanced booking, no appointment needed, no $ to pay, no new diagnosis nor new prescriptions. 

She mustered up courage and went. 

She saw a huge crowd. She wondered if she will make it nearer as it's a large crowd. She plotted the best way to get nearer. 

She pressed through. Anyhow, requesting, excusing, scooting and, pushing she managed to cut through a LARGE crowd! 

She self-talked, she ONLY needed to touch the hem of his garment. 

She didn't seem to want to disturb Him or His trip. She was aware of His busyness. 

She didn't even want to be noticed. (Hmmm!)

So resolutely, she came from behind and touched the edge of his cloak. And...voila!!! 

Her faith healed her. (Woohoo!)

Wait! To top it, Jesus wanted to ALSO publicly recognize her, her faith, declare her clean and restore her standing in the society. NO MORE shame! 

Jesus was actually on His way to heal a 12 year girl and enroute, willingly chose to stop, recognized her, her faith and restored her dignity after healing. She was suffering for 12 years, each year the little girl had lived, the woman had suffered. (JESUS healed both, first the lady suffering for 12 years and then the little girl of 12) 

Many of us have spent years of time, energy, $, emotions and, reasonings etc..to get the help. We have tried to fix, our ways while God is trying to fix us through His unconventional ways! God will equip, stablish, secure and strengthen us. When fiery darts come our way, God strengthens and rebuilds our core defense mechanism to fight it God's way. Or God will take us from strength to strength. And make is a blessing to others. 

That takes me to my second point: we are taught "Don't air your dirty laundry," well, here, Jesus incited her to air her already washed up laundry.  God invites us to openly talk about the message that springs from the mess, for His glory, for our good and for the edification of others. 

-Kalpana Christian Sharma @