“O house of Israel, can I not do with you as the clay is in the potter’s hand…” Jeremiah 18:6
In the portion of scripture above, God is reminding the people of Israel that He has the capacity to transform His creations in the same way a potter can improve an imperfect artefact he made.
He is, in effect, asking the Israelites if they have enough faith to believe that He can change their negative circumstances.
The question is still relevant to us as believers today.
This story of the potter and his pottery is often used to teach us how God is able to remedy our lives no matter what we have experienced and to give us a future better than our past.
However, many people – especially grown-ups scarred by a lifetime of painful experiences – have little or no faith in an improved future because they believe that their best years are behind them.
Such negative thought patterns could be as a result of painful memories, health issues that have reduced our physical capacities as well as the common belief that people have fewer chances at success in life as they grow older, etc.
At the human level, these mindsets are understandable. However, we serve a God of possibilities who is not bound by anything that has happened in our past.
One of the cornerstones of our faith is the resurrection of Jesus from something so final as death. Our faith in God demands that we stop limiting our beliefs of what we can achieve with His help.
He is able to bless us with better experiences than we have ever had so we don’t have to define our lives by those painful ones. Even when others seek to define us by issues from our past or we have suffered guilt for things we may have done, God is able to wipe the slate clean and give us a fresh start (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Also, we know from Psalm 103:2-3 that God is able to heal our illnesses and restore us to good health.
As for the idea that the chances for us to achieve great things are reduced as we get older, there are countless examples of people who achieved their greatest successes when they were past middle age. Famous examples like Marvel Comics’ Stan Lee, designer Vera Wang and author, Toni Morrison remind us that it is possible to achieve great successes regardless of our age.
It’s not too late for you to improve your qualifications, start that business, have a family or whatever your dreams may be, as long as you trust in God’s ability to make your latter years greater than the previous ones.
BY: Pastor Wale Afelumo
