Overview:

Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

A Reflection for Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

I went down to the potter’s house and there he was,
working at the wheel.
Whenever the object of clay which he was making
turned out badly in his hand,
he tried again,
making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased. (Jeremiah 18:3-4)

Find today’s readings here.

Today’s reading describes God as a potter and us as his clay. At first read, this analogy did not resonate with me. 

I think it’s because life often does feel like a pottery wheel someone else is controlling. And not in a good way. We work hard for our victories just for unexpected hurdles to stop us in our tracks. We move persistently in a chosen direction just to find that road blocked off. We spin and spin and spin—unable to stop the wheel despite our best efforts.

I am someone who struggles with surrendering control. I like preparation. When preparation fails, I like problem solving. Picturing myself completely within someone else’s hands is not exactly comforting to me. I would rather picture myself molding my own life at will. 

But the truth is, I’m not perfect. I’m not always prepared. Sometimes (often) I don’t have the right answers when questions arise. Sometimes I make bad choices that make problems worse. I might have thought the life I was shaping for myself was perfect, but then I step back and see that it has “turned out badly.” 

It is at this moment of error, when my quest for perfection has failed, that the image of God as potter speaks to me. Because Scripture tells us that God—the potter—never throws out misshapen clay. There is no shape too ugly; there is no mistake too great. The potter simply tries again: mends, reworks, fixes. 

As someone with a perfectionism problem, I should take comfort in knowing that I will not be abandoned when my best laid plans—or my worst ones—don’t pan out quite right. Because God’s hands don’t discard us. They lift us up off the floor, point us in the right direction, push us gently forward. 

They guide and lead, and hold us gently. There is no better place to be.

Brigid McCabe is an O'Hare Fellow at America Media.