The Potter's Wheel

The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord.  Rise up and be off to the potter’s house, there I will give you my message.  I went down to the potter’s house and there he was, working at the wheel. Whenever the object of clay which he was making turned out badly in his hand, he tried again making the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased.  Then the word of the Lord came to me.  “Can I not do to you, the house of Israel, as the potter has done?” says the Lord.  Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, house of Israel. Jeremiah 12: 1-6

In this scripture reading, my first thought was not the typical thought we hear in the song, “Lord you are the Potter, I am the clay, mold me.”  No, instead I had two different thoughts.

The first was how often do I continue to be the potter of my life instead of turning the wheel of my own will and life over to God?  Unfortunately, when I am honest with myself, the answer is quite often.  For example, every time I get frustrated with someone else, God’s will is for me to turn this over to Him and be loving towards that person.  However, all too often I not only stay frustrated, I hang on to it.  I will brood over it, pout even.  Sometimes I let out a loud obvious sigh or worse, I mutter under my breath, so the person clearly knows I’m frustrated with them. 

As I take this honest look at myself, I see how badly the object I am molding of myself has become.  This is often difficult for me to admit, yet when I can be honest with myself, I can let go of the clay and wheel.  I can repent of my sin, ask for God’s mercy, and then I can allow Him to be the Potter of my life.

As I continue to reflect, the second thought becomes more clear and real.  How often do I try to be the potter of someone else’s wheel, someone else’s life, like my children?  Yes, when they were little my job was to form them, mold them, and teach them about God and His love for them.  But as they grew and became teenagers and now adults, it’s very difficult when they make decisions contrary to what I think they should do.  My natural instinct is to take over their wheel, to try to mold them myself.  The same can be said of when I interact with other family members or other church members in my ministries.  I am quick to try to take over the potter’s wheel and mold the other person into the object I think they should be.  Instead, I should be leaving them in the hands of God and trust that He will mold them in His fashion and in His time.

Today, I must admit that I need to turn over the potter’s wheel of my life and others to God.  I must trust God to turn my bad object into something beautiful.  I must ask for His mercy and grace to let Him mold me according to His will.  To be humble and pliable in His hands as I live the spinning wheel of my life.