The Potter or the Clay

4/16/14

“Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the Potter; we are all the work of YOUR hand” Isaiah 64:8

Many of the rich and famous are constantly getting plastic surgery, nips and tucks and who knows what else.  A few people I know have gotten Botox or some other treatment trying to alter their looks.  Many people spend most of their lives trying to be someone or something else other than what GOD made them.

Have you ever seen a potter at work? It’s amazing to see how the potter creates the pot.  The potter puts the clay in the center of the wheel which is a very critical step as it is the foundation of the pot. The pot is only as true and as strong as the centering.  The next step is opening the centered clay so the potter's hands can begin to pull the clay up vertically from both inside and out.  Excess water is removed from the bowl with a sponge which also smoothes the surface and contributes to the strength of the finished bowl.  The freshly thrown bowl is then removed from the wheel and allowed to dry to a "leather hard" state at which point it can be trimmed to remove excess clay from the bottom and establish a foot.  Once the pot is trimmed it is again set on the shelf to dry. This will take several days for a bowl this size, as the drying rate must be carefully controlled to prevent cracking.  The next stage in the creation of the pot is the application of glaze.  First the potter checks the pot and removes any bumps or imperfections we see. The potter may sandpaper to smooth surfaces.  Then the potter will sponge the entire surface of the pot to remove any dust left from sanding to provide a clean surface for the glaze to adhere to.  Once the pot is glazed, it is returned to the kiln for a second firing, in which the clay and the glaze are matured, meaning stoneware is brought to a temperature at which it is no longer porous and the glaze achieves a glasslike finish.  And it is finally a finished product.

If an earthly potter can make a thing of beauty out of a lump of clay, wouldn't it be expected that GOD’s creation of each one of us is far more beautiful and is worth protecting?  We are so fearfully and wonderfully made that no one has the same DNA or same fingerprint.  We are each unique and wonderfully made by GOD, for GOD and for HIS purpose.  Knowing this why do we make attempts to change our path?

We are said to be a preculiar people, set aside for the glory of GOD.  Yet, we try to force our round peg into that square hole of the world.  We’re constantly throwing ourselves back on that potter’s wheel to remake what GOD has already perfected.  We’re not content with who we are, how we look, what we have, what we do, so we constantly climb back on that potter’s wheel at different seasons in our lives trying to mold and shape ourselves into what we want to be and who we want to be based on nothing more than a whim or a desire to be someone that the world says we should be.  What is in us that makes us want to change what GOD has made, who HE’s molding and who HE wants us to be?  We have chosen jobs and spouses during our remolding of ourselves that were not what GOD wanted for us.  We have made decisions that were not in line with GOD’s will for our lives reshaping our path and we set out on a path that we were never supposed to be on because we were too bored being the clay and wanted to take on the role of the potter and re-create our lives, our dreams, our desires, our ethics and our standards. 

As children of GOD created by GOD we are the clay in the hands of the Master.  Clay is pliable so it can be formed into something beautiful.  We are not yet the finished product, GOD is constantly reshaping us for HIS work, HIS plans, and HIS purpose but HE can only do this if we remain on the wheel.  We were never meant to take on the role of the potter.  When we chose personal gratification over GOD’s will, we become the potter.  When we shape our lives and our character by our own choosing we no longer remain the clay in the hands of GOD and we lose any chance of being all we can be in HIM because we are no longer being shaped by HIM.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

GOD says, HE knows the plans that HE has for us.  This is HIS declaration.  Plans to prosper us and not harm us plans that give us hope.  But if we do not allow GOD to continue to mold us and shape us into HIS plan and purpose we will never experience the true plans or prosperity that is needed for hope for our future.

It is not too late.  If you’ve been more of a potter in your life instead of the clay, you can still be reshaped by GOD.  All you have to do is climb back on that potter’s wheel, remain focused and let CHRIST be the center of your life because the pot (you) are only as true and as strong as the center.  Our GOD has begun a work in each of us, and even in our flawed or broken condition GOD can restore and reshape us while in the midst our brokenness.  Never forget the power of the hands of GOD. 

 GOD BLESS