We are clay in the Potter's hands

Jeremiah 18:1- 4

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 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.

As I meditated on this scripture, it occurred to me that we are all like clay in the hand of the potter, God is our creator and He knows exactly how to form us into the people He created us to be. But I often forget a key element in the process of pottery making. Not only does the potter mold the pot into the desired shape for His usage, but once it is shaped, it must then be fired. The firing is where we become useful to our maker.

We may have to endure a lot of pain to become the perfect vessel for our Heavenly Father to use. He knows the exact amount of firing needed to strengthen us for the work ahead of us. The firing process may seem as though it will never end, and yet, at just the right time, our Maker will remove us from the fire. 

How will we be used by the potter? That part is left up to Him. Does He need someone to offer refreshment to others? Does He need healers, preachers or teachers? We can't pick and choose what we will become, but we can joyfully submit to Him and let Him have His way with us.