A New Year’s Resolution
Yet, O LORD, you are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
Isaiah 64:8
The young woman’s body shook and her tears flowed. Kathy* had just moved into the homeless shelter and she was in the early stages of drug and alcohol withdrawal. When Kathy learned we were having Bible study, she ran from the room, came right back, Bible in hand and tears still flowing.
Having just celebrated the New Year, we talked about resolutions and how a resolution is a change we want to make in our lives. We talked about the Potter and the clay, and how our Father is in the continual process of molding and changing our lives to shape us into the beautiful vessels that He wants us to become.
We talked about how we, as the clay, must be pliable and willing and trust the Potter. How we must make sure our clay stays soft and doesn’t dry out. How we must be willing to place our clay in the Potter’s hand. How we must get to know our Father and let Him prove Himself trustworthy and how we do this by reading His Word - and learning how much He truly loves each one of us.
We then made a list of our resolutions for the New Year and Kathy shared that she had already made hers. She had been saved through faith in Christ just a month earlier. Ever since that time, she had planned for the next day to be her last day to drink and get high. Kathy had some serious pain in her life. She was afraid of being sober but she had truly encountered Christ and during the past month, through studying God’s word and praying to Him, He had given her the power to finally say “no more.”
So on this night, as Kathy suffered through the early stages of withdrawal, her determination was evident. Even as her body shook and her tears flowed, she held tightly to her Bible. As we talked about the Potter and the clay, and God molding us and changing us, this young woman’s eyes never left my face. She seemed to cling to every word that was spoken.
As we were finishing up, something truly divine began to happen. Another resident began to encourage Kathy as she shared her story of how God helped her survive a similar experience. She was so very kind and loving and supportive. An older resident then spoke up and said she had been there too. She assured Kathy that she would make it through this time - and they would all be there to help her. Then the older resident closed her eyes and lifted her face toward heaven. She began to sing “What a Day That Will Be” in such a pretty, clear, alto voice and as she sang to her Lord, all of her worries and concerns seemed to just melt from her face.
*name changed
These women laid aside their own problems to minister to Kathy.
Are we able to put aside our problems and minister to others in need?
Do we truly encounter our Father when we close our eyes
and lift our faces toward heaven?
We will if only we have faith as great as this precious homeless woman.
Father, we ask that you give us the power to trust you and leave our burdens at the cross. We ask that you give us a heart that always allows us to minister to others. And we pray that in the midst of our problems we would be able to close our eyes and lift our faces toward heaven and sing praises to you. In the precious name of Jesus.
