And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. — Jeremiah 18:4
I had the opportunity one time to work on an art assignment while I was in college. We were given an image and we were told to follow the instructions given and we would have an image turn out just like the one we were given. Except that didn’t happen. I learned something extremely important about art that day. Your perception of art and mine are totally different.
That is seen across various works of art. Someone may see a work of art and think that it is the most beautiful painting ever. Perhaps I look at it and see nothing but colored dots on the page. But when you research a piece of art, you find that the person who created it is the one who knows the true meaning and representation of the work.
The artist knows the look, design, and the outcome that they were working for. The same can be said in the example of the potter here in Jeremiah 18. The potter knows exactly what he wants from the piece of clay. Sometimes, things may become disoriented and look like a mess and the potter must start over.
There are so many times in this life that I feel like my life is just a mess. I feel like I have so many faults, failures, and imperfections that there is simply no way God would want to use me. There are times that the thoughts may even cross our minds of why God would even use us or keep us.
But just like the artist and the potter, God knows what He is doing. He is shaping our lives to be what He wants us to be. He has the design and the outcome in mind for our lives. So while we may look and see a chaotic mess, God sees something special. Don’t be discouraged because things look like a mess. Remember, God is in control and is working something special in you.
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