Formed Day 4: Courage to be Crushed

Scripture:

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 18:4 (NLT)

Devotional

We all love the idea of a "fresh start" or "starting over," but we often overlook the hard reality of how it begins. The problem is, the start over begins with the crushing.

The breaking requires a sobering recognition: I am not where I am supposed to be.

When the Potter looked at the jar on the wheel, He saw that it wasn't turning out as He had intended. Rather than leaving it in a flawed state, He crushed it back into a lump of clay. That crushing isn't an act of hatred or destruction; it is an act of intentional love. The Potter refuses to leave you in a misshaped condition when He knows you were made for so much more.

Allowing God to crush our ego, our misaligned plans, or our comfortable patterns takes courage. But until we recognize that our current shape isn't working, we can never experience the beauty of His complete restart.

Reflection

What is God trying to crush in your life right now that you have been trying to protect or preserve?

Prayer Prompt

Heavenly Father, giving You permission to break and crush my plans is hard. But I recognize that my way isn't working and I am not where I am supposed to be. I yield my pride and my plans to You. Crush what needs to be crushed so that You can start over in me. Amen.