The Potter and the Clay: Breaking Free from Spiritual Stagnation
Life has a way of exposing our stuck places. Sometimes it takes a phone call that makes your heart stop—the kind where you hear crying on the other end and brace yourself for what comes next. "He's okay, but..." Those moments remind us how fragile life truly is, how quickly we can be pulled from this earth into a face-to-face meeting with our Maker.
Are you ready for that meeting?
The Water That Never Runs Dry
Imagine if someone offered you water with special properties—water that could give you eternal life. Would you come forward to drink it? Or would fear of what others might think keep you in your seat?
In John 7:37, Jesus stood up at the feast and declared in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let them come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from them."
Can you hear that echo throughout history? The gift of God himself, standing and saying, "I am the one you've been waiting for. Come to me, and you will not die."
This isn't just ancient history to be read—it's an invitation to be felt, experienced, and accepted.
Recognizing Our Stuckness
We all have areas where we've stopped growing. Like an adolescent who leaves wrappers here, socks there, and somehow doesn't notice the tornado of mess they create, we often can't see our own spiritual clutter. We choose patterns that keep us comfortable rather than moving us forward.
God whispers to each of us: "You're stuck. You're stagnant. You haven't budged an inch."
He's given each person a seed of faith, expecting us to nurture it, water it, and watch it grow. But too often, we say no—not always with our words, but certainly with our actions. Being stuck is easier. It requires less of us. Getting unstuck means going back to work, doing the dishes, tackling the laundry of life.
But God never pulls us off the sticky trap without our consent. He will never force himself or his ways on us. We must make the choice.
Four Sticking Points
There are four critical places where we tend to get stuck in our spiritual journey:
When He Calls
The Lord is my shepherd. These opening words of Psalm 23 represent a posture of humility—an acknowledgment that we are sheep and He is the shepherd. His ways are higher. Our ways aren't quite as good as we think they are.
In Mark 2, Jesus walked along and saw Levi sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed. That's immediate action. No hesitation. No excuses.
Jesus came to call sinners away from their sin. When He calls, you have a choice: get up or stay put. Will you follow Him, or will that be your sticking point?
When He Commands
God designed our world with free will—not to create robots who must comply, but people who would willingly invest in Him, look for Him, and live for Him. The choices we make in response to His commands can be beautiful, God-honoring decisions, or they can be deceitful, excuse-filled rebellions.
Consider the garden. God gave Adam and Eve everything—an entire paradise with only one restriction. Yet when the serpent asked, "Did God really say...?" Eve looked at what she couldn't have instead of the 360 degrees of abundance surrounding her.
The fruit looked good. It was pleasing to the eye. It seemed desirable for gaining wisdom. So she ate.
Disobeying the Father and ignoring His ways never opens our eyes or makes us more like God. It blinds us to the truth that is in Him. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
When He Convicts
Conviction hurts, especially when we like doing what God has called us away from. These are dangerous moments.
In Mark 10, a rich young man ran to Jesus and asked what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus looked at him and loved him. Don't miss that. Then Jesus said, "One thing you lack: Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
The man went away sad because he had great possessions.
Can you imagine being face-to-face with God and choosing the old fly trap of comfort over His call?
When He Commissions
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations." This command from Matthew 28 is perhaps the sticking point for most believers. We've all had words on our lips and walked away wishing we'd spoken them.
But here's the key: combine the command to share God with others with the command to love God and love your neighbors. Perfect love drives out fear. Want to get unstuck in sharing the gospel? Love people. Genuinely, deeply love them.
The Potter Who Became the Pot
Picture a potter sitting at a wheel, hands covered in clay, spending time forming a vessel. Now imagine that vessel speaking:
"Lord, I've been thinking. I don't want to be used this way anymore. What about what I want? From now on, I'm going to have a bigger say in how and when I'm used. Could you please put me down?"
And the Lord responds, "As you choose."
How often do we tell God we'll handle the decisions from here? We'll decide the direction, the pace, the purpose. We want the easy way when God wants the way that leads to Him.
The Father has called us to be transformed into the image of the Son. Growth is often hard. It's heavy. But it's necessary.
You Turn Graves Into Gardens
God is the one who turns mourning into dancing, ashes into beauty, and shame into glory. He turns graves into gardens, bones into armies, and seas into highways.
There is nothing better than Him. Nothing.
The question isn't whether God is capable of pulling us from our stuck places. The question is whether we'll let Him. Will we remain clay in the Potter's hands, or will we insist on pottering ourselves?
Choose this day whom you will serve. Write down the date. Make it real. Because looking back on the day you chose to serve the Lord will bring joy, while looking back on the day you walked away will bring only bitter remorse.
The living water is offered freely. The Potter is ready to shape you. The Shepherd is calling your name.
Will you come?
