“Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand.” Jer.18:5
It’s summertime and I am always looking for a new craft or activity for grandkids. A quick trip to my local Michael’s presented me with many ideas, including making hand prints in wet cement followed by painting them into a masterpiece. The whole idea of wet cement is something I have been thinking about a lot lately. Not because I like to play in cement, but simply because I am writing and researching the imprinting that takes place when we are children. Imprinting that carries on throughout our life if we don’t notice it, address it and change it. Not all imprinting is negative, some is very positive. But sadly, because we are raised in an imperfect world with imperfect humans raising us, some of our imprinting is in need of God’s healing touch once we reach adulthood.
While each of us is born with all we need, the basic hardware and the wiring to learn about love and connection, we can not use what we were born with unless we have a guide…someone to teach us…thus the imprinting begins. In the life-shaping process some of us were affected in a way that now needs healing. The cement has dried on some fears, insecurities and bad attitudes. It’s time for the old imprinting to be broken up, making way for the imprinting of God on our souls, which will affect every part of our lives.
Just for fun…try this exercise:
- Take out a paper and make 3 columns: Fears, Insecurities, Attitudes
- In each column list the things that come to your mind for each
- Pray over your list asking God to give you healing where you need it.
- Pray Boldly, asking God to pour a mold of His Imprint into your heart and mind.
For instance, one of my fears growing up stemmed from being left alone much of the time. I never felt safe,had ulcers by 4th grade, and the cement hardened around my fears. They became part of me and I never really knew why I was so afraid. Neither of my parents seemed afraid of much, but I was terrified of everything. As I placed things in the fear column, I began to realize that perhaps fear isn’t my middle name, but instead something I learned from a young age. This gives me hope. I can be freed from fear as God changes the imprint from the human cement to the heart print of His Holy Spirit revealing the truth that: I am never alone.
Now, you make your lists and together we will listen to God speak to us truth about our lives that might make things a little clearer and our prayers a bit more directed.
Happy Wednesday….back to my writing desk!
Debbie
