Centered
Jeremiah 18:1-6 (NRSV)
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.
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O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. - Isaiah 64:8 (NRSV)
I recently took a class in making clay pottery. It was an enjoyable class, but I can be a slow learner. One lesson I learned the first day -- and relearned nearly every day after that -- was that no project would be successful unless the clay was precisely centered on the spinning wheel before I began working with it. Cups and bowls that looked promising soon collapsed if the ball of clay I started with was off-center. I found that it took all the concentration and strength I had to hold the clay firmly in my hands when the wheel began spinning and I tried to "feel" the center of the wheel. I usually closed my eyes because what looked like the center could be deceiving. Once I found the center, I could mold the clay into useful and sometimes beautiful things.
It was not hard to find a parallel between this lesson and my relationship with God. If I make a deliberate effort every day to make God the center of my life, my life can be useful and reflect the beauty of God's love.
Prayer: Lord, help us to stay centered upon you, today and always. Mold us for your service and allow us to be vessels for your Spirit. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
If I am centered on God, I will become a useful vessel.
PRAYER FOCUS:
To be centered in God
