Clay-mation!

"The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, 'Come, go down to the potter's house and there I will let you hear my words.' So I went down tot he potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him."

(Jeremiah 18:1-4)

One of Jeremiah's more famous images/metaphors - the Potter & the Clay! God, of course, is the potter and we are the clay (though my friend, retired pastor Shig Tanabe says, "We like to think that WE'RE the potter!"). God works our lives into what seems good to Him (however, unlike clay that can't 'push back,' we often rebel against God's shaping!). Notice, the potter doesn't shape the vessel... leave it for a while on its own... and then come back to find later that it's been spoiled. The potter has the clay IN HIS HANDS the entire time! Sometimes it just needs to be reworked.

It's been said that if we want to make God laugh, we should tell Him our plans. This passage reminds me that ultimately God is the One who shapes my life & future. This doesn't absolve me from personal responsibility, integrity & self-control... but rather challenges me to constantly be seeking God's will for my life (rather than my will for my life!).

I also love how the potter never gives up on the clay. If it's spoiled, he reworks it into a completely new vessel. Clay is valuable (and not to be wasted)! But it's also pliable and can be changed. Do I believe the same applies to ALL people? No one is outside the realm of change, by the grace of God!

PRAYER: OK, Lord... You are the potter! Mold me, shape me, rework me as You see fit! Keep me patient alnog the way. help me to work with Your will, not against it. I rest in Your loving & creative hands. AMEN.