“The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ‘Arise, and 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. And the vessel he was making was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.”  Jeremiah 18:1-4

Have you ever been in a situation where you simply wanted to start all over again?  Many years ago I was interviewed for a radio program.  Prior to this I believed that the people I heard on nationally syndicated radio shows were simply more articulate than the rest of us – and maybe they are.  But what I didn’t realize was that, if during the course of the interview you said something that didn’t come out quite right, or if you misspoke in some way, you could simply start over.  That way, they could edit out your mistake during post-production, leaving you with a very smooth sounding interview.

Unfortunately, real life doesn’t afford us the same opportunity.  Yes, we can sometimes start again, but our missteps and mistakes remain.  However, while they can’t be edited out, they can be overcome.

Part of the beauty of the Gospel is its transformative power.  We serve a God who changes people.  In fact, in 2 Corinthians 5:17 we find that, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”  This is great news for those of us who are not perfect.  It means that, even though we cannot undo what we’ve done or who we’ve been, in the Potter’s hand, we can become something much better than we’ve ever been before.