I like to color. I like to sit down and color for hours until my fingers go numb. It's a stress reliever, it's a healing process, and it's a nice flashback to kindergarten. I like how I feel in control of what colors to put where, how light or dark a color will end up being, and ultimately when it transforms into a masterpiece.

I like to think this is how God feels when he's throwing pottery. After all, He's the potter and I'm just a piece of clay.

My parents once took my sister and me to throw pottery. Let's just say it wasn't as easy as it looks. Before you even start, you have to prepare the clay with the correct portions of clay and water. You have to shape your clay into a perfect ball and throw it onto your platform at exactly the right spot. Now you're ready to start spinning your pottery, and you think it'll be all uphill from here. But don't forget, you have to shape your hands just right to get the perfect shape of pottery that you're wanting, and you also have to have a steady enough foot to press the pedal at the exact speed that is necessary to spin your pottery. As it spins, you have to mold your creation with your hands extremely carefully, to shape it exactly how you want.

That's exactly what God does. A lot of people think that God just snaps his fingers and creates us, but I like to think that He puts a great deal of effort into making each and every one of us, shaping us until we are exactly how He wants us.

With our world constantly feeling like it's about to spin out of control, we try our hardest to grasp at anything that will steady us, and calm our world down. But that's not our job. Our job is to look to God, and hold onto Him when we feel like there's nothing else to hold onto. Often, we think it is our responsibility to fix and control everything. But God wants us to run to Him and hold onto Him, when things are good and when things are bad.

I like to think of myself as a piece of pottery, after all, I'm just a piece of clay and God is the potter. But I am a work in progress, and God is constantly throwing pottery to continue to make us into what He wants His children to be. When throwing pottery, the clay has to completely yield to the potter's hands, submissive to the potter's wants and that is how we must be when God is transforming us from clay into an incredible piece of pottery; we must be an unconditional surrender.

I'm just a piece of clay but my Lord and Savior has constructed me into so much more.

"For royal power belongs to the Lord. He rules all the nations." Psalm 22:28

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:14

"And yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand." Isaiah 64:8