being stretched

August 11, 2005

i started physiotherapy about three weeks ago. my mom thought it would be a good idea to see if it could help my whole fibromyalgia deal. to be honest, i've had some bad experiences with physiotherapists in the past. the last one i went to was really bad. they told me to do things that actually caused me more pain. without knowing much about the body, i listened to them thinking they knew best. needless to say, i was a lot more careful this time around.

my new physiotherapist knows a lot more than my prior one. this guy actually knows what he's talking about; it wasn't long before i trusted that he knew what he was doing. and because i trust him, i let him do what he knows best to do. every time i go to physiotherapy, there's a few things that happen: he uses this micro-electric current to relax a specific area of my body, he stretches me out by moving parts of my body and holding them in certain positions, and more recently some weight training (really light, so it's not even weight training).

the stretching part is uncomfortable. as i lay there, he'll push a part of my body this way, or pull it this way, or hold in this way. it's not the best feeling in the world, but i know that in the long run, the uncomfortableness and even the pain is worth it. to allow him to stretch me takes trust. if i didn't trust him, i would resist his efforts. after all, nobody wants to feel pain or be uncomfortable. all this stretching got me thinking about my situation.

i know God knows the best. i know God knows what He's doing. the problem is that every time more pain comes or more uncomfortableness comes in my life, my judgement is clouded and i don't see those truths that clearly. and i wondered, did i trust God enough to allow Him to stretch me in whatever way He desired? did i trust that God knew what He was doing and He only desired the best for me? would i allow myself to be stretched by Him or would i resist His efforts? could i trust that everything i've been through was for a greater purpose than what i saw?

the Bible talks about how God is our potter and we are the clay. while i haven't a clue about pottery, i'm convinced that the potter has a certain goal in mind when the start going for it. and i believe God is the same. He sees what the clay will become. the thing with the clay, is that the clay has no choice but to be molded and shaped. it simply becomes what the potter desires of it. it's different with humans because of choice. if we really wanted to, we could jump off the pottery wheel and try to become whatever we try to fashion for ourselves. to some of us, that's the best course of action. take control of your life and make things happen. i believe the best course of action is to remain exactly where we are—in the potter's hands. granted, we might be pushed and pulled in ways that are uncomfortable to us or ones that even cause us pain. and granted it'll be tough in those moments. but one glorious day, when all is said and done, the potter will have completed His work and we will finally see how all the molding and shaping worked to form the beautiful pottery piece that we had become.

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." - jeremiah 18:1-6 [NIV]

Posted by Leo Chan at August 11, 2005 7:32 AM