On the island of Rhodes, I watched an apprentice potter grasp a dull gray lump of clay. He shaped this lump on his spinning potter's wheel, molding it skillfully with his fingers. Within minutes it had become a beautiful vase.
Prophets from 2500 years ago found the clay and the potter a good metaphor for the relationship of man to God. Isaiah wrote, "O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand."
Paul too uses the potter metaphor in his letter to the Romans. He advises against questioning the skill or the motive of the potter. And he addresses the need to trust the potter, and not become so absorbed in our own projects that we miss God's very presence!
I can relate to that. There are many times when with unbridled enthusiasm I have rushed forth with what seemed to me a great idea -- only to realize somewhere down the line when things began to unravel, that I hadn't asked God's opinion.
So I'm getting better at going to God first. With a "God, what kind of pot would you like me to be today? How can I best serve you today?"
As long as it's is my Maker's idea, I've learned I can be not only content, but rather excited about how He/She shapes and molds my day. And maybe that's where the pottery metaphor ends. Because while a vase or a water pot is a completed object, infinite Mind's (another name for God) creation is actively and continuously unfolding. It just never ends.
And so our Maker's purpose for us continually unfolds, providing us with new views, new insights, clearer understanding, fresh opportunities.
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The potter is not in the clay;
else the clay would have power over the potter.
God is His own infinite Mind, and expresses all.
Mary Baker Eddy
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