The precious children of Zion, worth their weight in fine gold— how they are reckoned as earthen pots, the work of a potter’s hands! – Lamentations 4:2
When I was a kid my brother and I watched a live action/educational show titled Gigglesnort Hotel. Looking back, that show was chock full of bizarre characters. One of those characters was named Blob. Blob was a gigantic lump of grey clay that the host, Bill Jackson (BJ), could shape into any form that he wanted. Blob made countless unintelligible noises as BJ worked him over. In the end, Blob would exit the scene a new creation…until the next episode. Hmmm. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Are there days that you feel like a formless lump of clay? Is the Potter mid process? Are you left on the Potter’s wheel seemingly spinning out of control? Are you left to utter unintelligible noises like Blob?
You are not alone. God’s got you. Every turn of the wheel. Every spin. Every shaping. Every reshaping. God’s got you.
You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. – Psalm 139:5
How wonderful is that?! The one who forms us continually re-forms us. The Potter loves us so much as to not leave us as we are, formless lumps of clay.
But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. – 2 Corinthians 4:7
And what of this treasure in those clay jars? What is this treasure that sustains us through all of life’s jarring moments? The light and love of Christ. The light that shone out of the darkness. The light shone into our hearts. The source of strength in our brokenness and weakness. The source of all life.
Shapeless? Not a chance. Always being shaped into something beautiful: you.