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My Redeemer liveth! I may be a lump of clay today, but watchout!!! I am having a do-over. I am in the Potter's Hands!!!!

"The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over". - Jeremiah 18:1-4

As I ran this marathon journey called life often times bedevilled with unexpected hurdles, sometimes unavoidable detours and distractions that slows me down. There had been several occassions and various seasons in my life when I took stock and audited my personal progress. During each of these specific time periods under self-review; be it physical, relational, spiritual, professional, emotional, social, etc, many atimes I conclude and judged that I have fallen short of my personal life goals and expectations. During some of these times, I conclude and judged that I've not only fallen short of my own personal expectations and goals, but more greviously, I conclude and judged many times that I've fallen short of the expectation of my Creator.

Being a little bit idealistic, my natural tendencies at those times use to be that I'll beat myself down, and down and down, sometimes into brink of depression, self-rejection, etc. During many of these times of personal reviews, I've fought hard against thoughts and incontestable facts starring me in the face with solid evidences that I've failed and fallen short of satisfactory progress!!! Many times these evidences are so graphic and incontestable that it pains deeply, and tends to 'paralyse' and 'immobilise'. Especially, when I compare myself to my peers who have and are leaving me behind in making remarkable progress in their own areas of endeavour either similar to mine or in their respective realms.

However, the comforting ministry of the Holy Spirit, the great Comforter always rescued me from myself. Giving me comfort, making me to see that as long as I'm not yet expired here on Earth, things will improve and get better. Many atimes, I'm made to recognise that compared to where I am coming from, I've made tremendious progress in life and ministry. Compared to how and where I started out, compared with the resources with which I started out, compared with the time when I started out, God has really brought me far! I've really come a long way. Many times in life, we are blinded to these facts and we focus more on where we think we ought to have been, or what we ought to have become instead of appreciating where we used to be, and where we were coming from compared to where we are today. A major reason why the greatest Psalmist that ever lived was so grateful to God always was because he deliberately and consciously remembered where he was when God took him, before being catapulted into the palace as the King of Isreal. David will always say:

“Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?"  - 2 Samuel 7:18b (NLT)

Just like God Himself said to David through Prophet Nathan:

"Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel."  2 Samuel 7:8 (NKJV)

Many times, it had been the power of praise and thanksgiving that had brought me from the depth of perceived personal short-comings and failures; from the brink of personally imposed depressions, to being thankful for and in my situation. The scriptures says in everything, give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18). At such times, I've always being reminded of the lessons I learnt many years ago from the praise and thanksgiving book series of Merlin Carothers such as "Prison to Praise", "Power in Praise", "Praise Works", "Victory on Praise Mountain". The good news is that facts can and do change!!! Yes, under pressure from the power of praise and thanksgiving, facts do change. Its only truth that never changes, but facts do change. So the facts may be that: as at today,  I am not yet where I am supposed to be; today, I may not have become who I am supposed to have become; but hey, these are facts. Facts are subject to change. Facts are not as powerful as the truth. The truth is that facts can change.

Many times I felt like a crushed lump of clay, broken and crushed by situations and circumstances, but hey watchout! I am still in the Potter's Hands. Many times, I felt as if I've not turned out as the Potter had hoped, so He crushes me into a lump of clay, and He had to start all over. As painful as that may be, the good news is that, I am still in the Potter's Hand. When others see me in my crushed lumpy state, I may be written off as a failure, but watch out, I'm having a make over; I am still in the Potter's Hands. Today, the facts may be that because of my lumpy clay state, I'm rejected and not found fit, but the truth is that I'm having a do-over, I'm in the Potter's Hands. Today, the facts may be that peers and colleagues may have left me far behind, but the truth is that I am having a make over from the Potter. I am in the Potter's Hands. The Potter's  purpose for me is very different from those of my peers and colleagues, therefore, this crushed lumpy clay called me is having a do-over, I am in the Potter's Hands!!!

"The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, “Go down to the potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over". - Jeremiah 18:1-4

My Redeemer liveth! I may be a lump of clay today, but watchout!!! I am having a do-over. I am in the Potter's Hands!!!! Its a privilege to be in the Potter's hands, for underneath me are the everlasting arms!!! (Deuteronomy 33:27)