A great word picture: Potter and Clay

I have been reading Jeremiah lately and have been so blessed by this prophet's words. I ran across Jeremiah 18 today, and today was just the day that I needed to hear this words spoken into my heart.

In chapter 18 we see our Lord speak to Jeremiah, telling him to go to the potters house and listen to the Lord's, which go like this (from the ESV and similiar in the NASB) :

"And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. "

I usually like a more literal translation when trying to really understand what the Lord is trying to teach through his Word, such as the NASB, but for this passage I also looked in the New Living Translation (a more paraphrase/idea based translation) and this translation really hit me:

"But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over."

He CRUSHED the clay and started all over.

Being an artist, and having several months of wheel-throwing pottery under my belt, I can relate. Crushing a piece that you have been working on, and staring all over is a huge deal! No one ever wants to start over, but when the pot does not cooperate, it's just what you have to do. There is no hope, once the pot has become lopsided you must just crush it and start over. The good thing about doing this is, your clay becomes eaiser to work with, more pliable. It has now been thrown once, sometimes twice, and has been worked with and is more formable, forms easier to your hand, and even feels smoother in your between your fingers.

I like the word "crushed" used in the NLT, but at the end of the ESV translation we see "as it seemed good to the potter to do." Any potter will tell you that the second pot will MOST LIKELY turn out better, more beautiful and easier to work with, when compared to the first pot.

But CRUSHED! That's a harsh word, but its what has to be done. Many times, I CRUSHED pot in anger or frustration, never in love.

Even though this even may have been intended for a different audience (Judah), I see it as very ablicable today. Many times, doesn't God choose to "crush" (in love, I hope, not frustration or anger like I did to my clay) us and "start over" because "it seems good to him to do" ? Here's the kicker, after we are crushed, spoiled and God starts over again, are we more pliable, smoother and easier to work with?

Are we submissive to the "crushing" and "starting over" because it "seems good to God to do?"

What a beautiful word picture.