Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. (Jer. 18:6)
Expanded Passage: Jeremiah 18:1-10
How much of our lives do we really control? If you’re a parent, your life is likely filled with soccer practices, parent-teacher conferences, and other kid-centered activities. Our job often dictates the hours we spend working. A significant relationship, too, will guide our time—with a mixture of joy and duty. Giving our love, affection, or focus to anything—a child, a job, a spouse—requires relinquishing bits of control in our lives.
We sometimes find ourselves in situations that are required, but not necessarily preferred. Maybe we don’t want to spend chilly Saturday mornings watching our five-year-old play soccer. But here we are. God has us there for a purpose, no matter how seemingly mundane it is. Will we find God’s joy and growth at the soccer game or spend the hour rolling our eyes?
We find ourselves in tragedies, too, that we did not choose. Will we choose to close ourselves off from God or be open to his voice? God gave Jeremiah a picture of his absolute control over his creation—like clay in the hand of the potter. We can be open to God’s shaping or close ourselves off to it. That’s the only control we really have. We’re in God’s hands. We can roll our eyes or even rage at that thought. Or we can find comfort in it.
Our lives are uncontrollable. Be open to the comfort of God’s control.
Stephen Simpson is a graduate of Wesley Seminary. He has served at Wesleyan churches—in one form or another—since childhood.
© 2023 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
