"A common jar of clay can never become a noble masterpiece, unless it is broken by its master, refined in fire, and renewed." ? Sharif Khan
There is a passage in scriptures that I have always found troubling. It reads: "Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?' Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?" [Romans 9: 20-21]. It troubles me, because no matter how hard I try to live a nobler life, I look to the brilliant stars above me and wonder if my life has already been written 'for common use.'
Haven't we all wondered at times if we were destined for greatness or gloominess? Is our destiny sealed by a written fate or is our outer-world but a reflection of our inner-world determined by our thoughts and will? Can the common jar of clay become a noble masterpiece? Can the wild bush become a walnut tree?
History dictates that the common jar of clay will always remain a common jar of clay; it can never become a noble masterpiece on its own accord. Ancient relics that have been buried for thousands of centuries have remained relatively the same after being uncovered by archaeologists. Likewise, nature dictates that wild bush seed will always yield wild bush, and nothing else. The jar of clay, the wild bush, they cannot change because they have no will. If they do have a will, it is very weak, and so bound by their make. Or, depending on how you look at it, very strong, because they are determined to be who they were born to be. Either way you look at it, they cannot change because it is not in their nature ? they cannot think for themselves.
Humans on the other hand do have a will, and a much stronger one at that: we can choose to kill someone or save a life, we can study in our field of endeavor or choose a life of crime, we can work out to become an Olympic athlete, or we can pig out and eventually die of a heart attack. As humans, the big difference is that we all have the faculty of reasoning and can significantly change the environment around us.
Although many of us have heard numerous examples in life where people from complete poverty and everything working against them beat the odds to become great, we still, in our heart of hearts, skeptically ask ourselves the question, "Can a pauper become a prince?" Can we really, truly change our character? Intellectually, it would seem the answer is no. But my intuition tells me yes. Or is it the part of me that hopes and dreams and wishes, but always falls short, because it is just that - a dream, and nothing more? The part of me that marketers love to take advantage of: you too can become a bestselling author, an academy award winning actor, an Olympic athlete, if you take our program, pill or practice.
Yet we have seen paupers turn into princes have we not? Sidney Poitier, the legendary actor, grew up in extreme poverty to become a shining prince and take home an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement in acting and filmmaking; John Steinbeck was a university drop out who worked as a sales clerk, farm laborer, ranch hand, and factory worker, and yet became a literary giant who won both the Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize for Literature. Mother Teresa was a nun who taught at St. Mary's High School in Calcutta, but later experienced 'a call within a call' becoming a world leader who won the Nobel Prize for Peace and earning the tribute, "Saint of the Gutters."
It would seem then that these examples defy scriptures; that the pottery for common use has become pottery for noble purposes. But it is easy to forget that the maker that makes us for one purpose, can also break us, and re-make us for another. The potter can break common clay, refine it and purify it in fire, in spirit, and recreate a noble masterpiece. The forester can burn an entire expanse of wild bush land and plant in that same soil a new seed.
Any person who has achieved greatness has been 'broken-in.' They have encountered life situations that have broken them, humbled them, brought them to their knees, and cut their egos down to size, shattering their limited conception of self. It is in these moments of breaking that they have learned to persevere. It's God's way of making the wise foolish, and fools wise.
We are all clay in the potter's hands. And the world breaks everyone. All of us have experienced situations in life that have tested us severely. Hey, shit happens?but if it didn't, we'd all be constipated. It's a good thing! But if we refuse to humble ourselves, refuse to take risks in life, refuse to see our own worst faults, stubbornly refuse to learn from our failures, and keep repeating the same mistakes, the shit piles up pretty fast! And that can be very painful.
We have only ourselves to blame for being put to common use and settling for mediocrity. If we were to read the scriptures more deeply, we would realize that the maker is in us, for it clearly states, "Behold the Kingdom of God is within you!" [Luke 17:21] And so living a life of noble purpose requires surrendering to the master within ? letting go and letting great. Only by willing to be broken and humbled can we be rebuilt in far stronger spiritual clay. For as Hemingway once wrote, "The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially." ■
Sharif Khan is a professional speaker and author of "Psychology of the Hero Soul," an inspirational book on awakening the Hero within and developing people's leadership potential. You can reach him at sharif@herosoul.com or by visiting sharif@herosoul.com
Sharif provides inspirational keynotes and leadership development workshops that entertain, educate, and empower. To book Sharif as a speaker for your next event call: (416) 417-1259.
monthly home cleaning Buffalo Grove ..Catch the express or the super fast bullet train. If... Read More
We have to go through some unfortunate experiences sometimes in... Read More
We as human beings travelled in small bands for hundreds... Read More
Charity isn't the easiest virtue to master. And with St.... Read More
The spiritually dead church. Now, I am not talking about... Read More
Most of us think of what a wonderful world this... Read More
I know eyebrows are probably raising about now, but let... Read More
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ... Read More
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me,... Read More
As I sit here and ponder my existence my heart... Read More
It will all be clear in a minute, but first... Read More
1. Identify a woman who is "like minded," who has... Read More
???Now is the time for all good men to come... Read More
The Planetary Spread is an excellent layout to use when... Read More
It is my personal view that the reason we call... Read More
Taco Bell, the Mexican fast-food franchise, has a new ad... Read More
When we feel that something has gone wrong and are... Read More
The fastest way to raise your frequency is to do... Read More
There is a chronology of events from creation to the... Read More
Do you ever feel that what you read in some... Read More
People rarely live up to a hundred years of age... Read More
The Key to True Love...Do you long for love?Most of... Read More
Uh, oh. I'm in trouble now. I found God. Now... Read More
Stress & Spirituality ? How Spirituality Affects Stress LevelsTake a... Read More
It doesn't matter what magazine or newspaper you pick up... Read More
scheduled maid service Mundelein ..Do you spend your time working towards that "one day... Read More
Before we dwell on the subject of Self Realization we... Read More
For many years of my life, I thought the spiritual... Read More
The good that Paul writes about is a commitment of... Read More
A magnificent source of life insurance and it's FREE. You... Read More
We've all heard the saying, "You have to forgive, but... Read More
How did an artist accidently learn healing visualizations and improve... Read More
Welcome to the GOD 1.0 Tech Support Page. GOD 1.0... Read More
Some of us might hear from time to time that... Read More
I once read a story about a Catholic priest who... Read More
As I listen with pastors and preachers in the body... Read More
For the past several years I have struggled with getting... Read More
Often, in being dishonest about our own faults and failures,... Read More
In Corrogue the air is chill and the frost is... Read More
In the make-believe world, too, fiction and films are filled... Read More
Lonely Song"a box of paints - lament for my da"It... Read More
INTRODUCTIONSpiritual affirmations are positive, statements of intention, that facilitate manifestation.... Read More
Green Principles: SoulBestABeing aware here now My path is progressive.... Read More
There is nothing more valuable to a sentient being then... Read More
You will become as great as your dominant aspiration...If you... Read More
Are you looking for a way to improve your accuracy... Read More
Self-actualization comes down to three basic premises: this is who... Read More
Tony was a professinoal salt-water fisherman. He explained how he... Read More
You're looking at one star in the middle of a... Read More
In an edition of Reader's Digest, I stumbled upon a... Read More
Spirituality |