Day 284
Jeremiah 16:16-18:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-5:3; Psalm 81:1-16; Proverbs 25:6-7a
Potter and Clay
Jeremiah speaks of God as the potter and we as the clay, an image behind much great Christian art. All too often, we see ourselves as the potter and our lives as the clay. God may be our pottery coach, but rarely are we willing to plop ourselves on the wheel and let God make of us what He will.
We seem to think that we are in control of our own lives and destiny, so we tell our children that they can be anything they want if they just “follow their dreams” and work hard enough (one of the great lies of our day, but I digress…). When things don’t turn out as we hoped, we either assume that we are incompetent potters, or someone has messed up our work. Only too rarely do we consider that we are in the wrong seat!
Recently, a parishioner was having a “debate” with his daughter. His daughter insisted that Jesus accepts anyone who comes to Him, while the parishioner insisted that Jesus accepts only the truly penitent. Who is right? Yes, Jesus does accept whoever comes to Him, but coming to Him means giving our lives over to Him. Coming to Jesus is conditional on nothing but our becoming the clay. Anything less is just looking for divine favors.
Are you the potter of your own life, or are you clay in the hands of God?
The Rev. Eric Turner