Has your life ever taken a turn you didn’t expect? Have you ever walked into a situation you thought you were prepared for, and then found that you weren’t as prepared as you thought you were? At these times we need to believe that someone outside of ourselves is in control. Someone who has a handle on the big picture.

I was completely unprepared a few years ago when I stepped out of the corporate world and into the role of chief executive of a community radio station. I had been looking for a change in direction for some time after working for the local chamber of commerce all my life.

The radio station’s focus was to provide a positive Christian message through music, interviews and announcing. It cost $1.2 million every year to run, relying on donations and limited advertising which was governed by tight regulations. As you can imagine, it was a daily struggle just to pay the bills.

It was a place where survival meant relying on God every moment of every day. As a result he showed me quite a lot about himself and a lot about myself. I noticed, in particular, that he paid close attention to my character during that time. By the end of the journey I was a very different person to the one who took that first step - and the changes have all been for the better.

God is sometimes referred to as “the Master Potter”. The one who picks up a lump of clay, looks at it, decides what it should be, throws it on the potter’s wheel and goes to work. The more flaws in the clay, the harder the potter has to work to smooth it out. I was like a piece of clay in his hands and he kneaded, stretched, molded and shaped me.

Sometimes this kneading and stretching is pleasant but most of the time it hurts. And it hurts because my immediate tendency is to resist, wanting to bend or stretch in another direction or wanting to stay in the shape that I’m in. But the Master Potter knows best. He has in mind a picture of the piece of pottery I will become – smooth, beautifully shaped, shining, colourful, full of character – and useful. A vessel that displays the creative genius and the loving care of the Potter who made me.

Allowing us to step outside our comfort zone and to experience different and sometimes difficult circumstances is often the way God gets our attention. And it’s the best way to learn about God’s faithfulness. He loves us intensely. He’ll never give up on us. And he wants the absolute best for us.

When we leave behind the safety and comfort of a familiar existence we often think we have everything we need inside of ourselves to cope with the new challenges. The reality is that we don’t. But everyone has the opportunity to tap into God’s power. So stop using up all your own energy and rely on him for the strength, knowledge and courage to get you through.

During the journey your understanding of how big God really is will grow. It’s a bit like viewing a mountain from a distance. The closer you get, the bigger it becomes and the more its features are clearly seen. From a distance it’s a lovely view, up close you can’t help but be awe-struck by its grandeur.

So if you’re in a situation where you are facing daily challenges and you’re not sure whether you have what it takes to get you through, don’t worry. The situation you’re in might be a physical place or an emotional place. A job, a city, a relationship, a habit, an attitude. You can rely on God. He’s waiting to take you on a journey that will increase your understanding of how big he really is. And he wants to transform you into the person he always intended you to be.

"So I went to the potter’s house, and sure enough, the potter was there, working away at his wheel. Whenever the pot the potter was working on turned out badly, as sometimes happens when you are working with clay,
the potter would simply start over and use the same clay to make another pot." (Jeremiah, the Prophet)


(c) Wendy Rush 2006