May 10

Jeremiah at the Potter’s Wheel

            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. At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it.  And at another moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, but if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will change my mind about the good that I had intended to do to it.

Jeremiah 18:1-10

The prophet Jeremiah was led to the house of a potter and encouraged to watch as a parable played out before his eyes.  The potter was at his wheel, working the clay and the project was just not going right.  Maybe the pot was too thin or the cup would not hold its shape.  Whatever the reason, the potter decided that instead of continuing to struggle with this piece of clay in order to create his vision, he would simply change his vision to match what the piece of clay could become.  God says to Jeremiah that if a people rebel or repent, He too will change what He intends to fall upon them.

The potter sitting at his wheel is a powerful image.  He takes a lump of dirt and water and begins to work it and pull it and fashion it into something else.  He has a picture in his mind of what he will create.  It will be beautiful.  It will be useful.  It will be something of value that will last long after he is gone.  Sometimes the piece follows his vision exactly.  Other times the clay does not do what the potter wants.  Maybe there is an issue with the clay.  Maybe there is an issue with the potter.  Maybe the tools that he has are insufficient for the piece that he wants to create.  Whatever the reason, he can either choose to struggle with the clay and end up with a subpar version of what he wanted to form or he can be flexible and let his design match his resources and create something different than his original plan, yet make it amazing.

This is parenting a special needs child.  We had hopes and dreams and plans before our kids were born.  We would have picnics as a family and attend school plays and have them in different sports and go on family vacations and see them fall in love and develop careers and families of their own.  As we look at our lives now…maybe those dreams can no longer be held onto. 

That does not mean that we are failures as parents any more then it means that our kids are failures as children.  Maybe it simply means that it is time to look for new dreams that reflect more of who our kids actually are, what they actually want and how they actually function.  Maybe it is homeschool instead of mainline education.  Maybe it is Special Olympics instead of Varsity Track.  Maybe it is trade school instead of college.  Maybe it is family vacations that only venture 45 minutes away from the house.

The potter could be angry with the clay or angry with himself while trying to make something that does not work.  Or he could choose to make something different that is amazing and beautiful and be proud of his work.  The choice is ours. 

A moment to reflect:

What is not working in your parenting?  What needs to change?