Flexibility

I went down to the potter’s house and there he was, working at the wheel. Whenever the object of clay which he was making turned out badly in his hand, he tried again, making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased. Then the word of the Lord came to me: Can I not do to you, house of Israel, as this potter has done? says the Lord. Indeed like, clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand (Jer. 18:3-6).

Last Tuesday night, my church choir had its dress rehearsal with our orchestra. It was the final tune-up (pun intended) for our performance of Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem which we will sing along with several shorter pieces on Saturday evening to commemorate the Feast of All Souls, or what is known in the Hispanic community as El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Most of the orchestra members this time around have not played for us in the past, so as a conductor, I had to get accustomed to them, as did they to me.

It takes time for musicians to gel as an ensemble to the point where they can anticipate what I might do as a conductor, and for me to learn what kind of cues I need to give them or specific points in the music I need to pay attention to for one instrument or another. Doing that takes sensitivity and clear communication on both sides.

One of the instruments in this particular ensemble is the harp. As we were rehearsing one song, we noticed that the harp was getting drowned out by all the other instruments. So we made an adjustment and dropped the piano part. Instead, the pianist switched over to the organ and provided some light accompaniment in the low register to give the piece a little more sonority, while allowing the sweetness of the harp to come through. What made that change possible was that the pianist was flexible and willing to try something different. The end result was a much more beautiful sound.

This episode reminded me of the passage above about the potter and the need to exercise that kind of flexibility with the Lord. It's easy to profess that I believe that His plans for me are perfect. But sometimes I recoil when He asks me to do something that I think sounds a little crazy, or makes me uncomfortable, or that I'm absolutely sure won’t work.

It's a consolation to me that I have good company in that regard. The prophet Jeremiah went so far as to kind of shake his finger at God and rebuke Him for having made him suffer indignation and even persecution for the prophecies he was speaking in the Lord’s name. All the day I am an object of laughter; everyone mocks me. Whenever I speak, I must cry out, violence and outrage is my message; the word of the Lord has brought me derision and reproach all the day (Jer. 20:7b-8).

As much as Jeremiah tried to keep God and His plans at arm’s length, he found he could not do so. I say to myself, I will not mention Him. I will speak in His name no more. But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart (Jer. 20:9). Although it was uncomfortable for him, Jeremiah stayed the course and remained faithful to proclaiming the word of God as he had received it and to his calling as a prophet.

It's important to pay attention to that "burning fire in the heart" that comes when the Spirit of God is near and at work in us. It happened to Jeremiah; it happened to the disciples on the road to Emmaus. While God is a gentleman and will never force Himself upon us, He does have a way of speaking consistently and even insistently when He wants to shake us out of our complacency or get us to stretch beyond the familiar. We need to answer His voice just as Samuel did: Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening (1 Sm. 3:10).

I, for one, can be pretty stubborn when it comes to getting out of my spiritual comfort zone (just ask my spiritual director LOL!) But in those moments when I can break free from my own sense of pigheadedness, I have learned that there is a peculiar and indescribable sense of peace that comes from trusting and humbly acquiescing to the perfect will of God. I've also learned that being obedient to the leading of the Spirit will never go unrewarded, even when doing so makes the going difficult. God cannot be outdone in generosity, and the reward for taking up our cross daily and following Christ as He commanded is that peace that passes all understanding (Phil. 4:7) in this life, and the promise of eternal glory in the end. So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time (1Pt.5:6).

Prayer Request: That we might become more humble and pliable in the hand of the Potter.

Prayer: Lord, you know how change and challenges scare us. Grant us the grace to surrender ourselves completely into Your hands, that we might confidently complete those tasks to which Your perfect will calls us. We make this prayer through Christ, our Lord. Amen.