The Potter’s House

I spent the day at the potter’s house.

Or, more specifically, I spent the day on the potter’s wheel.

I didn’t like it at first.

I did my best to avoid it.

I felt tossed around, roughed up, mishandled.

I started to complain, until I looked up and saw the beautiful urns all around me. Then I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I was nothing more than a lump of clay.

Perhaps I needed the help of the potter to turn me into something beautiful.

So I finally submitted to the process.

It turns out you can trust the process.

It turns out you can trust the potter.

Here’s what God tells us about pottery in Jeremiah 18:2-4:

“Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words. So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at the wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.”

If you’re on the potter’s wheel today, let me remind you of 4 lessons about pottery:

1. The potter is the expert. He knows what he’s doing.  The potter is always at work on his wheel. It’s what He does. He’s the expert. He’s the master. He controls the clay. The clay is simply an instrument in the hands of the potter. The clay has to trust the potter in order for it to become a usable urn. The potter does the work. The clay sits back and simply becomes. That’s good news for the tired!

2. The process takes time. The more beautiful and the more sophisticated the urn, the longer the process will take. The potter, however, is never rushed. He knows that it takes time to make beautiful pottery. The clay cannot rush the potter. Remember, all the clay can do is sit back and simply become.

3. The process involves reworking. Reworking. That’s a hard word to hear. It means breaking, and re-breaking, and re-breaking again. It means reshaping and molding until the right shape is seen. The clay feels every crumble. The clay often wonders…does the potter know what he’s doing? Will the reworking eventually stop? The answer is a resounding yes. Though the process takes time and rework, eventually the potter will be satisfied with the outcome.

4. The potter decides the desired outcome. If you’re wondering what outcome satisfies the potter, well, only the outcome he’s seeking will satisfy him. He’s the expert after all. He’s the one who is creating, and reworking, and making the perfect urn to be used as He sees fit. But the moment He sees the desired outcome, he knows the job is done. He’s that good!

If you’re feeling the strain of being in the hands of the potter, stop your fighting and rest. He knows what he’s doing and he’ll stop when he sees it.

You can trust the process.

I know. I just caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, and frankly – I like what I see.

I look a little bit more like my father every day.

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