Flawed

"But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him."

Jeremiah 18:4

As a student in college, I had the opportunity to watch a potter work with clay.  He had his clay stained apron on, a board laid in front of him, and a wheel to turn the clay.  He began working the clay making it more malleable so that it would take the shape he intended.  But as he worked the clay revealed its flaws, it would not take the shape he originally had in mind.  Rather than discard the clay, he formed it back into a lump and began his work again.  He had seen its flaws and chose to reshape the clay into something else.  He worked it and worked it until it began to take the shape of a wide shallow bowl.  He formed it in spite of its flaws. 

Jeremiah compares Yahweh to a potter. Yahweh took the clay into his hands and began to shape it, but it was marred, flawed so he rather than discard it, he reformed it. 

We are like lumps of clay.  We have flaws that lie beneath the surface.  As God works to shape us and mold us into the image he has for us, our flaws are revealed.  But God does not choose to discard us and find someone else to shape.  He reforms us into the image he has for us.  He does not leave us.  He works more thoroughly in us to remold us into the likeness of his Son, our Savior, Jesus. 

I am a flawed man.  It seems like each day my flaws are exposed.  I can choose to despair at my flaws, to become defeated and dejected that I am weak.  Or I can recognize that the exposure of my flaws is an opportunity to allow the Master to remold and reform them according to his purpose.  Each day, I try to choose reformation!

When your see your flaws, do not despair that you are flawed, but rejoice that the Master Potter is working to form you and mold you into his image! 

Are you allowing Yahweh to mold you into his image, flaws and all?