The Potter and the Clay
The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” So I did as the Lord told me and found the potter working at his wheel.
Jeremiah 18:1-3
THE POTTER AND THE CLAY
Most people today have never heard of Adelaide Pollard. However, in 1902, at the age of 40, Adelaide Pollard contemplated her situation. She felt, as many do at times in life, that she had reached a point where she was passionate about doing something yet was frustrated by the hurdle in her way. Adelaide sensed a call by God to begin missionary work in Africa; however, she became bitterly disappointed in her drive to raise funds for the needed trip. Through a series of events, Ms. Pollard attended a prayer meeting at a random church one evening, and it was there that an anonymous elderly woman prayed a prayer that germinated deep within Adelaide’s heart and soul, changing her life.
She went home and began writing out a prayer that went on to become a famous gospel hymn. Still today, in 2024, churches all across the world continue singing the hymn Adelaide Pollard wrote:
“Have Thine Own Way.”
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Thou art the Potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after Thy will, While I am waiting, yielded and still.
Jeremiah the prophet watched as the potter patiently formed the clay on the wheel. Obviously, he had a goal and purpose in mind for that piece of clay. But some of the clay was resistant and inflexible in the potter’s hands. Therefore, he cast it aside for a lesser purpose.
In a similar way, we are the clay, and God is the potter. He has a plan for each of our lives that is better than anything we have planned for ourselves. We have a choice as to whether we will yield to the will of God for our lives or resist it and become inflexible. Of course, we will have setbacks in life. We will face hardship and tragedy. We will encounter unexpected problems and heartache. However, we have a choice to become bitter or better.
Listen closely: Life is full of surprises. We all know people who had great promise but never reached their potential. Then there are others who did not seem to have much promise, yet God is powerfully using them today. What will you do with the life that God has given you? Will you conform to the will of God, or will you resist Him? Will you surrender to God’s plan and purpose for your life, or will you reject it? Will you say, “God, I want my own way,” or will you say, “God, have Thine own way”? I encourage you, do not be resistant and inflexible.
The choice is yours.
Love God. Love People. Live Sent.
Be Worth Being,
Kevin
Kevin Burrell has worked in professional baseball as both a player and MLB scout for the past 43 years, and currently serves as an area scouting supervisor. Kevin was drafted in the 1st round of the 1981 free agent amateur draft (25th selection overall), and played ten years of professional baseball with four different organizations. He and his wife, Valerie, live in Sharpsburg, Ga.