Jars of Clay

     I read this book over the summer called “Run with the Horses”, by Eugene Peterson, the translator of The Message Bible. It was one of those books that has super humongous, intelligent-sounding words, packed into nearly every sentence- the kind of book that really makes you think as a reader... Let’s just say that there were many passages in that book that I had to re-read multiple times in order to fully understand and grasp what Peterson was so eloquently describing! Anyway, the book was all about the prophet Jeremiah, his call, and the many challenges he faced as he shared God’s words with a stubborn and unbelieving people. In the midst of all the unique chapters and important ideas Peterson writes about in “Run with the Horses”, one specific concept from one specific chapter really stood out to me when I read it...
    Jeremiah spent a lifetime preaching to an ignorant people, who had forgotten God and his ways. He was constantly warning them of the consequences that were rapidly approaching as a result of their disobedience towards God. Yet day after day, the people continued to ignore Jeremiah. It was at a time like this- in the midst of the peoples’ rejection and scorn of Jeremiah’s message- that God did something unexpected (as is usually the case). God called Jeremiah to go to the Potter’s House.

"This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 'Go down to the 

potter's house, and there I will give you my message.' So I [Jeremiah]

went down to the potter's house and I saw him working at the wheel. 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. Then

the word of the Lord came to me: 'O house of Israel, can I not do with you

as this potter does?' declares the Lord. 'Like clay in the hand of the potter,

so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.' "

~ Jeremiah 18: 1-6

    Now back in biblical times, the invention of pottery completely changed society. Before the creation of pottery jars and bowls, people had to hunt for food on a daily basis, and then consume right then and there whatever it was that they had found. But once pottery was invented, the people’s whole way of life was turned upside down! They now had the ability to store and transport food. Instead of being restricted to one general area, the people had the option to travel, carrying with them whatever food and provisions needed for the journey within their jars of clay. Moreover, pottery quickly became a necessity to the people and their way of life. However, as much as pottery was a necessity, it was also a beautiful art form. The potter’s house was usually the central area of the town, where people would gather to see the potter’s hand in action at the wheel, creating beautiful masterpieces of clay each and every day. The skillful hands of the potter produced many special pieces of pottery, each uniquely crafted according to the potter’s personal plan and design. Pottery was necessary, and pottery was beautiful. And that is exactly the way God views us. :)
    Peterson writes (and this is the passage that grabbed my attention),

“Jeremiah had seen potters at work all his life, but today he saw something else- he saw God at work making a people for his glory. A people of God. Persons created in the image of God. Necessary but not only necessary- each one also beautiful. And beautiful but not only beautiful- each one also necessary. Each human being is an inseparable union of necessity and freedom. There is no human being who is not useful with a part to play in what God is doing. And there is no human being who is not unique with special lines and colors and forms distinct from anyone else. All this came clear to Jeremiah in the potter’s house: the brute fact of the clay, lumpish and inert, shaped for a purpose by the hands of the potter, and then, as it took its shape, the realization of the uniquely designed individuality and wide-ranging usefulness it would acquire as a finished pot, painted and baked and glazed. God shapes us for eternal purposes and he begins right here.”
   
    You see, God made no mistakes when he created you. You are necessary to his plan and purposes here on earth, and you are breathtakingly beautiful and flawless in his all-knowing eyes. The Lord your God carefully crafted you into a unique mold that is completely your own. There is NO ONE like you, and there will never be. You have your own set of special colors and designs and shapes and sizes that God took the time to paint onto your being and lovingly place inside your heart. Those little quirks and oddities you have- He LOVES those! He’s the one who gave them to you and he smiles every time he sees them in action. :) And yes- life is definitely a journey, and God is constantly shaping us to be more like him: smoothing out a rough place here, adding some new indentions there, painting on brighter colors and more vibrant patterns as life goes on... And all the while our beauty and our importance to God is made known to those around us by the way we love and live for the Lord. Often times, our colors even “rub off” onto those watching us and vice versa. We learn to appreciate and admire the shapes and colors of others, without doubting our own. And with every jar of clay we come in contact with, we are reminded of the Master Potter who lovingly and thoughtfully and purposefully created them all, and we can proudly say,
   

"Yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter;

we are the work of your hand."

~ Isaiah 64:8