Are you a cooperative pot?

Isaiah 29:13: "This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD : "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message." So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
Then the word of the LORD came to me: "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel."

Back during PA training I went to a lecture by Dr. Smyth who talked about sacrificial leadership (the theme of our conference) and he used the above passage as well as Isiah 29 and Isaiah 45:9. He posed the question: what does it mean to be shaped by God? I've been thinking about that lately, am I unreasonable clay that insists I know more about what I'm supposed to be than the hands shaping me? Or will I willingly let the Master work?

I stumbled upon a reflection on this same passage a day ago while reading Oswald Sanders: Spiritual Discipleship. These are my favorite excepts, the ones that challenged me and happened to address what I've been ruminating on lately:

"...a pile of clay inert and unable to improve its condition, of no intrinsic value; a pot of water for use in softening the clay and rendering it malleable; a scrap heap on which the potter cast the pots that had failed to realize his design; and, of course, he [Jeremiah] saw the skillful and experienced potter himself..." (p 144, emphasis mine)

"The tragedy is that sometimes we arrogantly assume the role of the potter and try to shape our own lives, with disastrous results" (p145).

"Clay is without value apart from the touch of the potter" (p145).

"The collapse was not due to any carelessnes or lack of skill on part of the potter...Sin of any kind will mar the vessel" (p146).

"Without the fire of the kiln, the vessel will not retain its shape...As the temperature rises, the clay becomes purer, and the beautiful colors of the potter's pattern are burned in" (p148).

"When we are passing through the dark and testing experiences of life, we tend to see only the black. We forget that there is, underneath, the gold of purified character - more likeness to Christ" (p150).

"Marvelous grace of the undiscourageable Potter" (p148).

And last but not least, one of my favorite stories (a Chinese parable) about a cracked pot:

A water bearer in China had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After 2 years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself because this crack in my side causes water to leak all the way back to your house." The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

Lie still, and let Him mould thee! O Lord, I would obey, Be Thou the skillful Potter And I the yielding clay. Mould me, O mould me to Thy will, While I am waiting, yielded and still. (Author unknown)