By Rev. Michael Shewburg
(revmichaelshewburg@gmail.com)
Have you ever held a lump of clay and wondered what it could become? Right now, it’s shapeless—but with guidance, it can become a bowl, a cup, or even a tiny animal. In the same way, God is always shaping our lives.
Watching the Potter
In Jeremiah 18, God sends the prophet to a potter’s house. Jeremiah sees a vessel collapse—but the potter doesn’t throw it away. Instead, it’s reshaped into something new. God says, “That’s what I’m like with you” (Jeremiah 18:6). When life doesn’t go as planned, God reshapes us into something good, useful, and beautiful. Psalm 139 reminds us that God has been at work shaping us even before we existed.
Shaped for Purpose
Pottery isn’t just for display—it’s meant to serve. Likewise, God shapes us not for admiration but for purpose. Even when life collapses, God gathers us up and begins again. Our mistakes are not wasted; they can become something beautiful. Like kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, God can turn our cracks into vessels of hope and love.
Living as Clay in God's Hands:
Stay responsive: Keep your heart open to God and the world.
Trust the process: God sees the final form even when we cannot.
Be willing to begin again: Failure is never final in God's hands.
Be active, not passive: Yielding to God means responding, not disappearing.
Even if life feels messy, God is still shaping, pressing, and pulling. The vessel that emerges--remade, strong, and purposeful--may be exactly what the world needs today.