Jeremiah 18:1-6 “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me: Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the Lord. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.” This episode is about how God is not done with us and our loved ones. If you are struggling with wanting parenting or any loved one, this could give you hope. Music:"Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The Potter’s Clay
Jeremiah 18:1-6 “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Come, go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me: Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the Lord. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”
There were a couple verses that I thought would be good for today. However, when I read this one again I felt like it was the one for today. I have at least two friends that are going through something really hard with their children. I know they are not a lone, I know many of us struggle and have a difficult time raising our children. These two in particular are having to let go of their children for a time and the amount of time is unknown. I am so grateful that they both believe in God and know He is in control. It is still crazy hard to do, but it does give some comfort to know God can bring their loved ones back to them.
The reason I felt this verse was so great for today is because it is a reminder that no matter how bad things seem, God can turn this mess into a beautiful work of art. Most times when we think about difficulty with our children we think of Luke 15:11-32. This is a story of a man who had two sons. One of the sons asked his father for his inheritance now, while his father was still alive and when he was young enough to enjoy it. His father gave it to him and he went and squandered it all. Then eventually when he was working on a far feeding the pigs he realized his father fed his help better than this and decided to go home and beg his father for a job.
We think of our children as the prodigal son and we just need to wait for them to get tired of the life they have chosen and decide to come home. This is a great scripture to refer to, but not just because it shows the son coming home. It is a great scripture for us as parents to refer to because it shows what we as parents can do. The father watched for his son. He kept watch and never gave up hope. When he saw his son, he did not wait in his house, angrily thinking about all the things he wanted his son to say before he would forgive him. He saw his son and he ran to him. He hugged his son and welcomed him back into the house before the son even had a chance to apologize.
We can learn a lot from this father. He is a great example of faith and hope. He is a great example of how we can react when our children want to come home. Are we welcoming them with open arms? What do you need to do to be ready to welcome your child home with open arms? Do you need to let go of past hurts? Do you need to forgive old offenses? Do you need to grieve the life you thought they would have? This last one is perfectly normal. When we have a child we imagine a great life for them. We imagine all the milestones in their life. We picture each moment. Then, when they don’t get to experience those things, it’s ok to grieve for them. It’s ok to grieve the loss that you won’t get to experience that with them as well. Even if they are missing out on these things because of choices they made, it doesn’t make it any easier for us as parents to watch them miss out on it.
I am not an expert but I believe that it is perfectly ok to grieve unmet expectations. I think it is the best way to be able to move on from that sadness. I know some people say you should just be happy with what you have and I think this is true. And I also believe that you can be happy with what you have and be sad for something that you don’t have. For instance, you can be happy you got a new job, but be sad you won’t work with the same people you used to work with. You can have two conflicting emotions at the same time. Grieving the loss of the future you wanted for them is ok, it helps you let it go and opens you up to accept the future they will have.
The reason I chose the Jeremiah verse instead of the prodigal son verse as the main point of this episode today is because I think it is a better visual for my friends that are struggling right now. And if you are struggling with parenting, with your spouse, or with any other loved one, I think this scripture could be one to really hold on tight to. Jeremiah 18:4-6 “The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me: Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the Lord. Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.”
When you are worried about your loved one, think of this verse. Picture the crazy situation your loved one is in as the clay that was spoiled in the potter’s hand. Then think of their future as the reworked vessel that seemed good to him. Picture the Lord saying these words directly to you. “Can I not do with you, just as the potter has done?” We don’t have to wait until our child is ready to come home. We just need to wait until the Lord is done reworking them into the masterpiece that He wants them to be. It may not be the future that we wanted for them, but it doesn’t mean it won’t be great, or even better than what we had planned for them.
If you are struggling right now, or if you find yourself having to let go, when you really don’t want to, I encourage you to lean into the Lord. Talk with Him daily, journal to Him, explain to Him all the things you are feeling and ask Him to help you. Ask Him for the strength to let go knowing He will bring them back. Tell Him you are entrusting them in His care and that you know they will come back. Tell Him you believe, and ask Him to help your unbelief. These are just the things that I have asked for. Only you know what you need. He will give you what you need if you are brave enough to ask for it.
I also want to encourage you to believe that just because things happen in God’s timing doesn’t mean it will be a long road. God can work quickly as we have seen many examples of this in the Bible. When I worry about my children, which I have done plenty over the years, I find comfort in Acts 9:1-19, the story of Saul’s conversion. If you have not read this, or are not familiar with it, I highly recommend you check it out. Really briefly, and spoiler alert, Saul was someone that we persecuting and murdering anyone that believed in Jesus. On his way to another town to round up more believers he was blinded by a vision of Jesus. He was blind for three days and then he received his sight back. This man is the man we know as Saint Paul. His conversion did not take a long time. His conversion was not something he was seeking out. The Lord chose him, and He was the Lord’s. The same can happen for your loved one. It could take a long time, but it could also be a quick transformation. Pray big prayers. Hope for the impossible. Our God is an amazing God and He works the impossible every day. He can do it in your life too! Only if we are bold enough to ask Him for it and brave enough to believe He will do it for us, not because we deserve it but because He is so good!
Dear Heaven Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord we ask you in particular to be with those that are struggling with their own version of the prodigal son parable. Help them to imitate the father in this story, ready to welcome their loved one home with open arms, expecting nothing in return. Help us to ready our minds and hearts for this return that we are sure will come. Lord, you love us and our children more than we can possible imagine. We trust our children to you and we thank you for taking such good care of them and not letting their decisions ruin them. Lord, we know you can change hearts and minds as you did so with so many people in the Bible. Please do this for us and our children. Change our hearts and minds to be more in alignment with yours. Lord you are so powerful and we are so grateful for you and for how much you look out for us! We love you so much Lord and we ask all of this in accordance to your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen!
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. If you are struggling and morning the loss of something please know you are not alone. There are many of us that have been through it and you will get through it too. If you want to reach out I would be happy to talk with you. You can email me at Catherine@findingtruenorthcoaching.com I look forward to spending time with you again tomorrow. Have a blessed day.