The Patient Potter

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

But now, O Lord, you are our Father;
    we are the clay, and you are our potter;
    we are all the work of your hand.

Be not so terribly angry, O Lord,
    and remember not iniquity forever.
    Behold, please look, we are all your people. -- Isaiah 64:8-9

I stood at the front door, hand on the knob, purse on my shoulder, Bible in my backpack, waiting. Taking five deep breaths, like all the parenting books said to do. Watching my kindergartner on the floor at my feet use his chubby fingers to form a bunny loop with his shoestring and chant his way slowly through tying his shoes. So slowly.

I thought I was a patient person until I became a parent. Then, God brought me face-to-face with my impatience.

My son, whom I love more than life itself, is annoyingly laid back. He ate his peanut butter and jam sandwiches until there was only a crust, then he pulled the crusts apart and ate them one by one. Which, in case you wonder, takes twice as long as eating a PB&J should. Bedtime routines took as long as they needed to take. Not one minute less. And, soccer practice could involve running, if one felt up to it, or one could enjoy the sunshine and blue skies, and look—a bird!

I liked to move fast. Talk fast. Walk fast. Get things done fast. Parenting demanded that I slow down to the pace of my little guy. And I failed, over and over again.

As in all things, God corrected me by example. When moving fast resulted in making errors, I chided myself. Slow down, Nicole! Look what you did. You should know better. But God had patience with me. You are not a failure. Learn and grow from this. Often, God gives me the opportunity for a do-over.

God, our perfect parent, is always patient.

Think of the Israelites in the desert, wandering for 70 years. God could have taken them straight to the Promised Land, but He knew they needed time to recover from generations of enslavement. They were not yet ready to fight for their land. God patiently waited until they were. They needed time to practice, again and again, being the chosen people of God. What did being chosen look like? What did it not look like? They needed time to figure that out, mess up, and try again.

Fresh out of Egypt and impatient with how long Moses stayed on the mountain to meet with God, the Israelites rebelliously crafted a golden calf and worshipped it. Did God give up on them? No. He patiently began again to give Moses the Law, teaching the Israelites to stop worshipping idols. In essence, his actions said, Try again.

When I believe God is patient, I submit to his correction with hope, looking forward to my next chance to choose better.

When I don’t believe God is patient, I try to control my life out of fear of making a mistake.

It helps to remember the promise of the potter in Isaiah 64:8-9:

But now, O Lord, you are our Father;
 we are the clay, and you are our potter;
 we are all the work of your hand. Be not so terribly angry, O Lord,
 and remember not iniquity forever.
 Behold, please look, we are all your people.

A potter, working on his creation, gently shapes the clay into something useful and beautiful. His fingers hold the clay firmly while he shapes and smooths and smooths again, slowly removing imperfections one layer at a time. He does not hurry, or the work will be ruined.

Our God is patient with us. So, we can be patient with ourselves and others.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Where am I tempted to take control of things in my life? What would it look like to submit to God’s plan and timing with hope in that area?

2. When have I lost patience with myself? What does that reflect about my belief in God’s patience?

3. Who needs me to show patience today?