Reforming Spoiled Clay
Photo by SwapnIl Dwivedi on Unsplash
Even Bad Clay Gets Formed Into Something Good
by Eric Elkin
“Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the Lord. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”
Pottery is a metaphor for life that resonates with me. Watching the hands of the potter form a rough block of clay into a beautiful object comforts me. The image makes me think of my own forming. Someone has taken great care in shaping me into the person I am. There is not one person but a community of hands involved in the process. Yet, there is just one behind the process, a master potter molding me into a vessel.
I like to think that just as the potter destroys a flawed project and starts over, I can also be reshaped into something new. Prayer invites the master potter to begin a new thing within me when my heart, mind, or soul feels faulty. This is more than a wish or a dream; it is a reality I have experienced time and time again.
My confidence in being formed into something new was shaken this morning. While listening to a meditation on Jeremiah 18, the speaker asked if I ever felt like I was made of spoiled clay. This is not a design issue. Artists do not create new pots out of lousy clay. Spoiled clay needs to be replaced. The question made my soul feel heavy and burdened.
“Clay can be dirt in the wrong hands, but clay can be art in the right hands.”
The narrator's question came at a bad time for me. Church leaders, especially pastors, are trying to adapt to a radically changed landscape in a post-COVID restriction world. I find reassurance that my work is about reshaping a flawed object. However, if the clay is spoiled, what hope do we have? What good thing can be formed out of rotten clay?
We cannot always see the reality that shapes the words in a book. But Jeremiah's world was much more difficult than mine. The kingdom God placed into King David's hands was defeated, and the people were taken away. How can I complain when so much security and possibilities remain?
Jeremiah was told that God never gives up on creation, even if the clay seems spoiled. Clay is precious to a potter. It is too costly to simply throw away and get new material. If a potter feels this way about clay, how do you think God feels about you? About the Church? About all creation?
Lately, I've been telling people that I am neurotically optimistic. There are great reasons to be hopeful, but sometimes I lack confidence in my sight. To soothe the worried portion of my hope, I am placing my name into Jeremiah 18:6 instead of "House of Israel." "Can I not do with you, Eric, just as this potter has done?" Speaking these words helps remind me that my flawed parts are being reformed.
Click to read Jeremiah 18: 1-6
Reflection Questions:
Have you ever at moments felt that the clay you were made of was spoiled??
Where do you find hope when in this condition?
How does the promise that God never gives up on you help you this day?
Where is God doing something new in your life?
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