But now, O Lord, you are our Father, we are the clay,

To cover up a very ugly spot right outside our back
door, my husband and I have been laying patio stones.
After shopping the market and seeing that we could not
afford the right pavers, we opted instead to pour
concrete mix into molds to form pavers on the area.

In spite of the backbreaking labor, it has been a lot
of fun, embedding pebbles and pressing leaves into the
wet mix to make leaf impressions in the wet concrete.

Okay, we also scratched the perfunctory "GB & TB"
initials with the hearts, too. I guess we can get away
with silliness like that after almost 38 years of
marriage.

One thing good about molds is that you get the same
product each time, with the exception of what you
imprint or embed into it. They fit together nicely and
will make a lovely patio for a cheapskate couple.

The same is true (minus the cheapskate couple) in
Christianity. We are molded into the image of Christ
by the pattern found in the Bible.

"Brethren, join in following my example, and observe
those who walk according to the pattern you have in
us" (Philippians 3:17 NASB).

The product will be the same if the same mold is used.
The Bible contains the mold, or pattern, that we obey
to become Christians. We may look a little different
on the outside, with our own personality, just as each
of our leaf pavers will be one-of-a-kind.
Nevertheless, our purpose will be identical. As New
Testament Christians, we serve our Master and our
risen Lord.

It delighted and impressed me this week to find a
Facebook post by my daughter using the exact same
Bible verses and same arguments against early marriage
that I used when I was her age. I must admit that my
first emotion was surprise, because she is at that age
when she seems to feel that her mother knows very
little. Then I realized that she was simply allowing
herself to be molded by the same power that molded me.

She was quoting the same Bible verses and references
that I used so long ago. That same wisdom, found as a
pattern in the Bible, kept me safe from the unstable
and unhealthy relationships that plagued my friends.
In fact, I didn't date at all until I met the
wonderful, godly man who is now my husband. Why
bother? Dating has a goal, and the goal should be a
godly mate. I could not see any of the other possible
love interests ending up that way.

I thank God for the molding that happened as I studied
God's way in the scriptures, rather than following the
way of the culture around me. That same information
and wisdom is there in the Book, ready for anyone
willing to be molded and shaped by God.

As we teach our children, we do well to remember that
the amount of Bible facts that we stuff into their
heads have value. But far greater is the value of
teaching them to allow that precious book to mold them
as they continue studying and learning from it!

"But now, O Lord, you are our Father, we are the clay,
and you our potter; and all of us are the work of your
hand" (Isaiah 64:8).

Christine Berglund @ forthright.net