The Deep Water Series Part 1: The Art of Re-do

We tend to be terrified of starting over. We see a mistake—a "flaw in the pot"—and our first instinct is to try and patch it, hide it, or simply settle for a lopsided life. We think that if we’ve put in the time, we have to keep what we’ve made, even if it’s broken.

But there is a specific kind of grace found at the potter’s wheel.

In Jeremiah 18, the prophet observes the potter working. When the vessel is marred, the potter doesn't throw the clay away in frustration. He doesn't abandon the project. Instead, he simply re-works it. He brings it back down to a simple mound of clay and begins again.

At 77, I’m learning that the "Re-Do" isn't a sign of failure; it’s a sign of a Master who refuses to give up on the Work.

We often think that if we’ve made a mess of things, we have to spend the rest of our lives frantically trying to patch the cracks or smooth the lumps ourselves. We treat renewal like a DIY project. But the Potter’s house teaches us a different rhythm. When the vessel is marred, the potter is the one who does the scraping; he is the one who exerts the pressure; he is the one who sees the "new pot" hidden in the old pile of clay.

The peace we seek isn't found in our ability to fix ourselves, but in our willingness to stay on the wheel.

Sometimes we get "too big for our britches" and try to orchestrate a future that was never meant for us. We say, as Israel did in Jeremiah 18:12, "We will follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts." We try to be both the clay and the potter.

But there is such freedom in finally letting go. The "Re-Do" isn't our job—it’s His. Our only task is the "ministry of stillness," remaining soft and yielded so that He can make us into another vessel, "as it seems good to the potter to make it" (Jeremiah 18:4, NIV).

The "Re-Do" isn't a setback we have to manage. It is a holy moment where we stop struggling and let the Master begin.

If you’d like to spend a little more time at the Potter’s House, I’ve put together a deeper 3-day reflection on these verses from Jeremiah. You can click here to download it for free and join me in the stillness.