There’s a moment in the Book of Jeremiah that always makes me smile. God tells Jeremiah to go down to the potter’s house. There, he sees the potter working at the wheel, shaping and reshaping a lump of clay. Sometimes the vessel collapses, so the potter starts over, patiently molding it into something new. Then God says, “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel” (Jeremiah 18:6).
Isn’t that comforting? We all have moments when we feel like we’ve collapsed on the wheel—when plans fall apart, when we make mistakes. But the story doesn’t end there. The potter doesn’t throw the clay away. Instead, she starts again, with patience and hope.
I like to think our souls are like that clay. We may get knocked off center, but we’re never beyond repair. The divine potter keeps working with us, shaping us into something beautiful, flaws and all.
Have you ever had to start over, either in art or in life? How did it feel to be “remade”? Next time you feel like you’re spinning on the wheel, remember: the process is sacred, and every collapse is just a chance to be reshaped.