Paint by Numbers

Letting God shape and mold us in his loving hands  

Jeremiah 18:1-6  

This word came to Jeremiah from the LORD: Rise up, be off to the potter’s house; there I will give you my message. 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. Then the word of the LORD came to me: Can I not do to you, house of Israel, as this potter has done? says the LORD. Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, house of Israel.   

          Well, we had an unforgettable and blessed vacation in India; thank you for all your prayers. I spent 2 ½ weeks - day and night - with my parents, and I still love them! More surprisingly, they still love me! We didn’t get eaten by any lions or tigers or bears, oh my! But more impressive than the wild animals were the wonderful people we met along the way. Let me tell you about one of them.

          On the flight to India, I sat next to a man originally from Iran, returning to see his widowed mother. He told me that at 18, he had had enough of his father and saved $4,000 to come the U.S. He got a scholarship to study engineering in Philadelphia and then a fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. He started his own engineering company in Nevada and is very successful with his own patents. Ten years ago he finally flew home because his father was dying of depression. His father’s final words to him were, “I am dying because you left us.” I was stunned, but he went on, saying, “That’s why I now fly home every three months to see my mother.” As we deplaned I thanked him for sharing his story, and I promised him I would make the most of my time with my parents, on this trip and afterwards. For that man, his personal achievement in business paled in comparison to his personal failure with his father. He wouldn’t make the same mistake with his mother.   

          In the first reading today the prophet Jeremiah learns who the Teacher is behind these life lessons, namely, God. Jeremiah sees a potter working with clay, shaping and reshaping the slimy lump on his wheel. The key phrase for me is: “Whenever the object of clay which he was making turned out badly in his hand, he tried again.” I can’t help but think of my Iranian friend, who had “turned out badly” at 18, rejecting his father. But God kept working on him, and tried again, and now the man deeply loves his mother. And even more than that: he was a Muslim who taught a Catholic priest about loving his parents. God had taught him more than he ever could have learned at the University of Pennsylvania or the Wharton School of business.   

          I’ve never been a big fan of the painter, Pablo Picasso, especially his abstract art. The images are distorted, disproportionate and divided. My 8 year old niece could paint better than that. Charlie Keuhl once said, “If you look closely, you can see the numbers.” But maybe Picasso was making the same point as Jeremiah’s potter: often the clay turns out badly. Indeed, Picasso himself hadn’t turned out so good either: he was born a Catholic but died an atheist; and he had fathered 4 children with 3 women. Professional success but personal failure. But God the Divine Potter never stopped trying to refashion Picasso the clay. To change the metaphor, in this case Picasso was the painting, and God was the artist.   

          Folks, try to see yourself as clay in the hands of God the potter, and let him shape you lovingly, tenderly, as you sit slowly spinning on his wheel. Even if your life feels like a Picasso painting - disturbed, disjointed and distressed - God will refashion you. Don’t give up, be patient, and just let Him keep working. God is trying to make you a masterpiece.   

          Praised be Jesus Christ!