“What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?’”
Isaiah 45:9
I have mentioned before that one of my hobbies is making glass beads. (See the post, The Refining Fire.) I have made more than my fair share of beads that have not turned out the way I wanted them to—at all! And, while I have had many moments where I shook my head at the outcome of my efforts, I have never had a bead tell me that it did not like the way I made it! But that is what we do with God, isn’t it?
There are many things in this life that I wish I could do better. There are many things I wish I could do even a little bit! I wish I had some musical ability; I wish I was quicker at math; I wish I liked technology and was better with it than I am. Alas, no one asked for my opinion when I was being created in my mother’s womb. I have a whole list of things I would have swapped out and added if it had been left up to me. But it wasn’t.
This verse also makes me think about when people ask why a good God would let such terrible things happen in this world. That’s not really how He made things at the beginning. The terrible things were our fault—not His. Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden enjoying a blissful life unlike anything we’ve ever seen. They were in harmony with nature, with each other, and with God. Then, they went and ruined everything. The Serpent was in the Garden and he questioned Eve, tempted her, and got her to doubt God for just long enough for her to take a bite of the forbidden fruit. Adam was there, but apparently he did nothing to stop her. All at once, evil was introduced into the world. And the Garden was no longer a place of bliss.
We do not know how long Adam and Eve were in the Garden before this happened. Presumably it was a while, but not so very long. Do any of us think we possess any more will power than Adam and Eve? We have the benefit of hindsight, similar to telling the character not to open the door that we know the villain is lurking behind. We know what they were introducing to the world by their initial sin. However, Adam and Eve did not and could not, fully grasp what their sin would do not just to them but to all of humanity. Conversely, we cannot imagine the communion they had with God prior to the fall.
Yet we think we know better. We think that a good God should not allow things like this to happen. But why do we think we could design a better world when we were the ones who messed it up the first time? Who are we to tell the creator that we don’t like the way He created us? Who are we to question and complain about the abilities we wish we had? Who are we to say the He designed the world, His creation, all wrong?
Perhaps we spend too much time asking why we were made in such a way rather than seeking how we can use the way we were made to serve Him. Perhaps we should ask Him how he wants us to use our specific talents and abilities to convey his love; how He wants us to respond to all the hurting souls in the world, and how we should demonstrate our faith and trust in Him. How can we show Him that we believe He knows what He is doing and that He has everything under control? Most importantly we need to seek how can we be more like Him.