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The college football season is underway. 164 college football teams played games this past weekend. How exciting is that? However, consider that of those 164 teams, 82 of them ended with a loss. Hopes for an undefeated season? Gone. Their shot at a national championship? On life support after week 1. If ever there was a time for a coach to walk into the locker room and read Jeremiah 18, this is it.
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 it seemed good to him… Just like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand… says the Lord. Jeremiah 18:3-6.
I figure any good coach has to have a lesson ready for what happens when the perfect season is spoiled. Why not Jeremiah 18? The coach has to figure out how to mold the clay a bit differently after their pre-season hopes have been dashed. He can tell the players that the spoiled clay of their season has the potential to be something completely different than they could have ever dreamed, and he, the coach, will show them the way.
So many times in our lives, our hopes and dreams are dashed. Colleagues may not be as collegial as we might have liked. Our kids may not be behaving as we would like. Our job may not be what it once was. Our marriage may be encountering some challenges. Our finances may be stretched thin. We may have gotten bad news about our health or the health of a loved one. Our extended family may be presenting us with difficulties. Some of you may feel a bit like the players and fans of the 82 teams who lost this past weekend; a bit let down. If so, it’s a good time to consider that God has the power to remake the situation. Rather than wallowing in despair and giving up on the year, it’s important to give our dashed hopes over to the potter and look for something new to be created.
And for those who are still undefeated, if everything in your world is still working out just as you had hoped, should the day come that your team or your year takes an unpredictable turn keep Jeremiah 18 in mind and know that we are all clay in the potter’s hands.
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