Living Your Noble Purpose

"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 http://www.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.

---

What Is The Universal Subconscious?

There are many different and interchangeable terms that are used... Read More

The Shamanic Approach to Healing for Animals

On Shamans and Shamanism ... Shaman, a Tungus (Siberian) word,... Read More

Zen and Peace (The Road To Lasting Harmony)

Presently, many of us live in uncertainty. Due to the... Read More

Universal Thought System

What we think is what we are. Our lives are... Read More

People Fail in Life Because They Do Not Plan

Life is growth. For many people life is like a... Read More

The Power Of Prayer - Gush Katif Needs You Now

You can't help but feel a sense of electricity in... Read More

Beyond Normal - The Liquid Level Of Consciousness

I am not enlightened, and yet,... Read More

What The Bleep is All This Quantum Physics Stuff About?

"Quantum Physics is the science of gods? Newtonian Physics is... Read More

Solitons and Wavelets

Everything in the entire universe, big and small, visible and... Read More

Romantic Relationships: A Spiritual Perspective

Meeting someone so attractive, so beautiful. Your heart beats like... Read More

Communion - The Key to Experiencing the Abundant Life of God

Now, we all know that we shouldn't be lead by... Read More

The Fountain of Light Exercise

An etheric body, also known as the aura, surrounds every... Read More

Look! Its Another New Age!

There's nothing new about "the new age" except the attitude... Read More

Real Spirituality

My fiancee' and I frequent a restaurant in L.A. called... Read More

Understanding the Tarot Card Deck - Part 1

One of the first steps toward understanding the Tarot lies... Read More

Run Forest Gump Run

In the movie "Forest Gump" we see Forest succeed in... Read More

10 Tips For Spiritual Growth

Spiritual growth is the process of inner awakening, and becoming... Read More

Fear Base Society

In today's world we worry about everything, food, jobs, clothing,... Read More

Becoming Enlightened

Enlightenment, which is as varied as each individual's fingerprint, is... Read More

When Bad Things Happen (Part 1)

Rabbi Kushner in his book "When Bad Things Happen to... Read More

Dimensional Shifts

"Spirit is beyond the void of space. This realm, beyond... Read More

The Pizza Parable

Behold, a certain young maiden did often times and at... Read More

Selfishness is a True Declaration of Lifes Purpose

In your quest for enlightenment, always ask what's in it... Read More

Just Do It!

"It's a big challenge. It's a journey into the unknown.... Read More

Kundalini and Enlightenment

We all hear of the concept of the "Enlightened Master",... Read More

Seeking the Sacred

People have always sought the sacred. It is the Divine... Read More

True Health

Some may ask, is there any truth to have a... Read More

Religion or Spirituality

There is a natural tendency to asociate spirituality with religion,... Read More

Whats Up With the Bad Reading?

A lot of times when I am reading people on... Read More

An Open Invitation

"All you who are thirsty, come and drink." ISAIAH 55:1,... Read More

The A To Z I Beheld

I beheld the sky and its wonders and saw AstonishmentI... Read More

The Problem with Anger

As Christians, we know we need God in every aspect... Read More

A Man Called Jesus

(Channelled)I have been trying to ignore this title "A Man... Read More