Forming

Update

Cole and I were attempting to make salt dough. It’s very simple to make. You just combined salt, flour and warm water. As we tried to put the salt in the measuring cup, we ran into a problem. The salt had gained moisture and turned into a tight rock. We threw it, shook it and did everything we could think of to break it. Then I had the idea to get the meat tenderizer. I raised it above my head and took a big swing. It didn’t do anything. The salt was so hard. I have no idea why, but I had the urge to softly tap it. As I barely taped it, the salt started to break off. It only took a minute or two and we had our cup of salt. As I was looking in the bowl, I felt the Lord gently open my eyes to how he sometimes shapes us.

 

There have been times when the Lord has shaped me in big, bold and hard ways, but more often than not, He shapes me a tiny bit at a time. He calls me to lay something down or lets me experience something that I never thought possible. He does this process so that I can continue to grow and develop. We serve a mighty God that knows exactly when to tap and when to shake us to our core.

1 Kings 19:11-12

The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. ¹²After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

Living Within Your Limits

Exodus18:13-18

¹³ The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. ¹⁴ When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”¹⁵ Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. ¹⁶ Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”¹⁷ Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. ¹⁸ You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.

Lately the Lord has been showing us areas where we are wearing ourselves out or trying to carry it alone. We aren’t meant to be able to do it all alone and that doesn’t make us weak. It makes us human. The Lord has ordained each of us to complete certain tasks, but we must always remember that we are ONLY called to carry what He gives us. Moses was exhausting himself by trying to be the only judge. His father-in-law recognized that this wasn’t healthy and he needed to delegate. The Lord had placed Godly man around Moses to help judge. The Lord also places people around us to help carry the load. We must be willing to let them help!