Broken & Shaped

“Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.”

“Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭18:3-6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

In elementary school me and a few friends were bused to Christina Cultural Arts Center’s old location on Church street in Wilmington to learn how to create art projects with clay. I learned various techniques to manipulate and shape the material into works of art of which I was proud. (My mom displayed my coil piece well into my 40’s in her living room. I better check, it may still be on a shelf in her house…)

Before attempting to work with the clay I vividly remember “throwing” it to get out all the air bubbles which if left within would ruin what we developed.

In those lessons, the pottery wheel fascinated me the most! I didn’t master it, but watching those who could was amazing. Our instructor could take our mess and turn it into a successful endeavor – molding, shaping, and applying pressure at the right times. There were times though, that our piece of clay creation was not able to be salvaged and many times she’d ball it up and say, “start over” with the same lump of earth.

The lessons learned from the pottery classes make me reflect on concepts which are emphasized in Jeremiah 18.

We are in God’s hands.

There are times in our lives when we are completely overwhelmed, thrown, out of place, in unfamiliar territory or even shattered! We are BROKEN – feeling as though you can’t pull any or all the pieces together. You feel emotional, revealing, and vulnerable due to life situations all around you.

If you haven’t had those moments, seconds, hours, years – I have! I wasn’t sure what to do or where to turn…

In the midst of these times we need to recognize- God is shaping/molding us by doing “a new thing.” As Marvin Sapp sings – He has His Hands On You!”

The book of Isaiah gives us more assurance of being recreated by God.

“Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:18-19‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Those unsure times are God’s opportunity to – just as my teacher urged – create something new, view or adjust from a different angle, and apply pressure in just the way needed to change.

The challenge for us – to yield and learn as new/changed/repurposed clay.

In my own challenges I’ve discovered results on the other side. I was sick and then put on oxygen. Now I’m a strong and confident witness of God the Healer. I quit a job without a job along with later surviving a natural disaster. I’m now able to firmly speak of God as the Provider. Often heartbroken, disappointed with people, let down and single, I’m now able to talk about the God of love, strength, forgiveness and reconciliation who in turn is continuing to teach me to abide and dwell.

It’s not always easy to go through the process of being broken. It’s painful. It’s uncertain. It’s even harder when we resist. The path is much easier if we yield to His way of molding us. It takes disciplined prayer and study while in His hands as clay to gain new skills and perspective.

At times it is hard to see the greatness of the vessel/project during the process but – by the end what the creator has in mind is clear.