What's Molding You?

Hey Friends!

Do you ever people watch? I was asking a friend what she liked to do in her free time, and she said she enjoyed sitting on a bench at a mall and watching people go by—she likes trying to figure out their stories.

People watching is entertaining; it’s fun to guess how much of the story you create in your mind is accurate—you can make up some funny scenarios by people watching. The truth is we all have a story, in fact, just the other day, I was sharing part of my story with someone, and he was shocked. He said that he didn’t know I had been through so much “stuff”. The truth is that I made a decision and continue to make decisions not to allow the “stuff” to define me. We all have been through some things. Trauma, loss, hurt, betrayal—it’s stuff we’ve had to deal with. When you give those areas over to Jesus, they can’t define you anymore. Think about if you wore a label marking every negative thing that has happened to you on your forehead. That would be extreme, yet if you’re not careful, you can wear those labels through your actions, how you view yourself, how you treat others, and even how you view God.

“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.” Isaiah 64:8

The Bible likens God to a potter—forming and creating us. Refuse to allow anything else to have that power over you. Yes, God uses the things that you go through in your life for His glory. Yes, you can learn from things that have hurt you, but don’t let the “stuff” mold and shape you. When you do this, people won’t see a victim, but they will see someone who has come out of some fires not even smelling like smoke! When you give all the “things” over to God, He exchanges them for wholeness. Just like a potter would take a bump in the clay and rework and smooth it over until it isn’t even noticeable—He wants to heal you completely.

Let’s look at some excuses for holding onto our “things”.

Doesn’t God know this hurts? God sees everything that you have gone through. The Bible says He knows every tear you’ve ever cried (Ps 56:8). He doesn’t want you to just suck it up. He is compassionate, yet He loves you enough to want to see you whole. Don’t ignore your hurt or pain; confront it with who Jesus is! He binds up the brokenhearted; He gives strength to the weary. Wholeness starts with a “want to”.

If I choose to let it go, people won’t understand all that I’ve been through and feel bad for me. Well, do you want to be defined by the things you’ve been through, or do you want people to be in awe of your God who took what the enemy meant to harm you and turned it for your good? Do you want to be a victim or walk in victory—the choice is yours.

If I choose to heal, God won’t bring justice. Holding on doesn’t make things justified. Holding on only hurts you. When you give those things over to God, now they are His to deal with and then and only then can your heart experience freedom and healing.

No more excuses, choose not to let negative things leave a label on you! You are exactly who He says you are—healed, whole, beautiful, restored, loved!

Choose to hand over the “stuff” today and walk in new levels of freedom and joy!

Xoxo- Joie