The Potter's Hands

“This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ‘Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.’ So, I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so, the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me.  He said, ‘Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?’ declares the Lord.”

~Jeremiah 18:1-6

When we come into this world, we are like the clay in the potter’s hand waiting to be molded and shaped into a vessel that God can use for His glory. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy for us to be molded as it is clay, and it also has to do with who is doing the molding. We don’t always get an experienced potter in life. Sometimes, we get an untalented potter without a clue as to what they should do with the clay in their hands. Sometimes, we wind up with the chore of molding ourselves into some semblance of a productive human being. It can be a rough start for many of us.

I wasn’t raised by Ozzie and Harriet and we didn’t live like The Brady Bunch. We were more like Married With Children without the humor. I was always envious of those Brady kids though, with parents who were kind, loving, and understanding; siblings who were helpful and considerate, and a maid to do the cooking and cleaning. I would’ve killed to have Alice in our house! Even though we are products of our childhood, and we don’t always get the skilled potters as parents, we can still come out of it in pretty good shape.

“But when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now, we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known (1 Corinthians 13:10-12).”

The Amplified version of this verse reads:

“But when that which is complete and perfect comes, that which is incomplete and partial will pass away. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now [in this time of imperfection] we see in a mirror dimly [a blurred reflection, a riddle, an enigma], but then [when the time of perfection comes we will see reality] face to face. Now I know in part [just in fragments], but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known [by God].” 

Only God sees things as they are. He sees us for who we can be in Him, not for all the mistakes we’ve made in our lives, not for all the names we’ve been called, and certainly not for the dim view we have of ourselves. He sees us through the lens of the blood of Jesus Christ. God sees us wrapped in the light of His glory, flawed human beings who have been saved by grace and justified by His Son. If we could only take a moment and look into the mirror and see what God sees in us, we would have a completely different take on who we are and what our true worth is. 

Look into the mirror and repeat God’s words in Jeremiah: “Can I not do with you, (insert your name here), as this potter does?” Let the Potter mold and shape you from the inside out. You are what the Lord says you are, and no matter what has been said about you, or to you, it's what God says that matters. Be the clay in God's hands, take the shape He wants you to have and you'll become a beautiful piece of art.

“The Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you (Jeremiah 31:3).”

Read Psalm 120-130

© 2018 Marie McGaha