The Better Part: The Potter


"But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and we all are the work of Your hand".  Isaiah 64:8

As an artist, I enjoy exploring and experimenting with various mediums to express my creativity. Lately, I have felt especially drawn to pottery. Why pottery, you might wonder? Well, it all started when I was watching “The Great Pottery Throwdown ( A British show). Seeing the potters sitting at the wheel, patiently and meticulously shaping a lump of clay into something beautiful, really caught my attention. It brought back a vivid memory of a hymn I had heard during Mass growing up by Carey Landry called Abba, Father (You Are The Potter). The song was pleasant and catchy, but at the time, I didn’t fully understand its deeper meaning or significance.

A potter who skillfully shapes a plain lump of clay into a variety of unique and beautiful pots, carefully crafting each one with deliberate attention and tender care, provides a profound and meaningful metaphor for our relationship with God. Our Father and Creator, the master potter is constantly at work in each of us. The clay—each of us—when kept moist and supple, can be continuously refashioned and reshaped over time. Are we living our lives in the potter’s hand, surrendering ourselves fully? Do we allow Him to gently mold and reshape us again and again, guiding us with patience and care? In doing so, we become the beautiful work of art He envisions, uniquely crafted and wonderfully made.

There is a character in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine named Odo. (Yes, I am a Trekkie.) As a Changeling, Odo has the unique ability to shapeshift and alter his appearance at will. Similarly, clay goes through different stages as it dries: starting as plastic clay (wet and malleable), then becoming leather-hard (stiff but still workable), and finally turning bone dry (very brittle and fragile). This progression invites reflection—do we live our lives constantly shifting toward who the world expects us to be? When we allow the world to influence us completely and shut out our Creator, we eventually become bone dry, losing our flexibility and strength. It is that constant spiritual moisture—the precious gift freely given by God—and the ongoing, loving relationship we nurture with our Creator that allows us to remain moldable, pliable, and deeply united with Him on the potter’s wheel of life. This process unfolds “for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13), shaping us according to His divine purpose.

Reflect for a moment: what stage are you currently experiencing on the potter’s wheel?

Beloved Father, Creator of all things seen and unseen, we are the work of your loving hands. As we journey through life, the wheel of existence continually draws us closer to you. Even when we stray from your path and when moments of rest or breaks become necessary, we ask that you refine us and gently shape our hearts our lives and makes us a new. In all things, we humbly place our trust and hope in your divine guidance.

Keep at it!

Keep praying. Love the Lord.

Peace and Grace.

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Listen To Your Mother

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The Promptings of the Spirit