Clay in the hands of the Potter

 

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"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."
Jeremiah 18:4

A few years ago, a friend shared this verse and it has been highlighted in my Bible ever since. I love the word picture that it brings to mind. It perfectly describes my life right now:

This newest piece of work was to be a pot, perhaps a vase, fit for displaying beautiful flowers. It was just right until the Potter no longer needed a vase. No, what He needed was something else. It would be just the thing for Him and others, but He knew that changing it would not be easy. He prepared His hands for this task, praying as He went along. Then it was time to take that near-finished vase and reshape it. And so He did. Piece by piece, He gently crushed it until it was no longer marred, but just right for molding. He began to work the clay, rubbing here, squeezing there until it was completed. It was no longer a vase, but a lovely bowl. Indeed it was different from what it had originally been. Rather than being appreciated for a time, it now served a long-term, useful purpose. Its purpose was to be of service, to be open and available. Just like me.

I really do feel like the Potter has been shaping my heart in similar ways lately. He has been opening my eyes to so many ways in which I need to be submitting to His ways and humbling my heart before Him. What I have been finding in my life is marred, dirty. But He has such a gentle way of wiping away the dirt and smoothing the creases in order to bring completion. My prayer is that I could indeed be a bowl for Him, fit for serving His kingdom and those around me.