{Guest post by Kasey Shuler}
Ladies, our bodies are in a constant state of change. The middle school girl prays for curves (I’m speaking from experience), the mom tries to gain some control and tame her postpartum tummy with a belly binder, the older woman slathers on anti-aging creams to keep her skin from wrinkling. It seems like we are all trying to achieve the look of a twenty-year-old college girl. But even the college girl has some self-perceived body distortions of her own.
It’s time to let the image of a perfect body go and rest in the hands of the Potter.
Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles’?Isaiah 45:9
Our life is in God’s hands. This means we can give control to the Lord, who like a Potter who puts a clay pot in an oven, refines us from one degree of glory to another. This transfer of ownership is not easy. It’s painfully humbling.
A friend of mine taking pottery lessons told me about a problem she was having in class. No matter how hard she pulled and yanked on the clay, the bowl would be uneven. The teacher came over to her and showed her what to do: pull the clay up, then smash it down to re-center it. She tried it and found the clay no longer resisted her efforts to shape it.
The Lord confirms this in Matthew 23:12: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Humility sounds like the better way to go.
A few months later, I was outside on my friend’s back porch. The potted plants caught my eye and I complimented her on her decorating skills. She replied, “Thank you! They are sitting in the pots I made.”
Like a plant in a clay pot, our body is a vessel of life.
And like a clay pot, our body does not last forever. We get worn from continual use. We might get knocked over and bear scars as proof.
Our outer selves may be wasting away, but our inner selves are being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16).
God is making us, molding us, shaping us to be fit for the eternal kingdom. Let us not resist Him.
When we start to complain about unexpected weight gain or unsightly skin sagging, trust the Potter. With each pass of His hand, our rough edges become smooth.
You’re in good hands.
Reflect and Respond:
What is your idea of a perfect body?
Do you trust that God made you perfectly?
Do you believe He is perfecting you and will complete His good work?
P.S. Would you like to WIN a copy of Kasey’s book “Love Beyond Looks: A 5-Week Bible Study on Body Image”? Head to her page HERE to enter!
