Once upon a time, there was a Master Potter. He created beautiful and useful pieces of pottery in his shop.

This story is about one piece of pottery called "Jar". The Master Potter had created Jar with great care and love. He had worked with the clay, forming and shaping it into a vessel that would be of great use. However, even with as much care as the Potter took in creating this vessel, Jar was not perfect. He had some defects, but was still able to be useful. Jar was a beautiful piece of pottery, pleasing to the eye as well as being useful.

One day Jar was sitting there thinking to himself, "I am wonderfully made. I am a beautiful piece of pottery. I have an attractive shape and am intricately painted. I am also very important since I am used to hold the oil for making bread. Why, I am perfect!

His thoughts continued, "Well, I suppose I am not really perfect. In fact, I know that I am not. After all, I do have these slight imperfections, but they are on the inside and no one can see them. So as far as anyone else knows, I am perfect."

Around this time, the Master Potter reached out to Jar to pick him up and use him. Jar said to the Master Potter, "Do you know I am wonderfully and beautifully made?"

The Master Potter replied, "Well, yes I do. I am the one who created you and I am pleased with how you turned out."

Jar exclaimed, "You are the one who made me?"

"Yes, and I agree You are a very handsome piece and useful to me as well, since you hold the oil for making bread. Why do you bring this up?"

"Well", Jar replied, "I was just sitting here pondering my good qualities and feeling pretty positive about myself, so I thought I would bring it to your attention. I wanted you to feel good about me too. I want you to make sure you appreciate me and I that I do for you."

"I see", said the Master Potter. "Tell me, do you think that you deserve the credit for turning out so well?"

Jar said, "Of course! I work hard and deserve to be recognized for my good qualities and achievements."

"What about your imperfections? Don’t those bother you at all?" the Potter inquired.

"Not really. After all, they are hidden on the inside, so no one really knows about them. All they can see is my beauty and usefulness. Since you made me, you are the only one who knows about these imperfections. But they don’t affect my work for you, so they shouldn’t bother you either. So everyone should think I’m great, especially you! You should be glad that I am so willing to be used by you. It’s a pretty thankless job after all."

The Master Potter said, "Jar, to be honest with you, I don’t believe you deserve the credit for what you are. After all, you were only a lump of clay before I worked with you and formed you into a useful vessel. I made you – without me you would be nothing at all. I think you should be honored that I created you and want to use you."

Jar didn’t like this one bit. This made him angry. And he started thinking that he wasn’t really all that happy with his lot in life. As a matter of fact, now that he had time to think about it, he saw some other vessels around him in the shop that could be perceived to be even better than he. So he said to the Master potter, "You bring up a good point. You made me what I am. So why couldn't you have made me even better? Why couldn't you have made me more beautiful like that vessel there? She is painted very lavishly and has handles on both sides. She is used frequently and is highly appreciated.

Or why couldn't you have made me more important like that vessel over there? He has a very important job. He holds the wine, which is served at the feasts. He is brought out for everyone to see and is passed around from hand to hand. And all the while people get to admire him for his great beauty. All I get to do is sit here in the kitchen holding the oil that is used for making bread. So what little beauty I have goes unnoticed. No one sees me but you. And my job is much less important; I am used only by you - and in a very humble capacity, I might add. No one else even knows what I do. Now that I have thought about all of this, I realize I'm not all I want to be. And I am cracked on the inside too! Why, oh why, couldn't you have made me to be more like those other vessels?

"Little Jar," said the Master Potter, "I made you just as I thought you should be. I think you are very beautiful, even with your imperfections. And you are very useful to me. I love you, little Jar. Now let me take you over there and use you now, as I am preparing to make bread."

As the Master Potter reached for him, Jar shouted, "No! Do not use me. I am not happy with you. You didn't make me beautiful enough. You didn't give me enough handles. You didn't paint me brightly enough. You created me to perform a boring, unimportant job. So I don't want you to use me. I only want to be used if you make me even more beautiful than I already am, or give me a more important job. If you won't make me the way I want to be or use me in the way I want to be used, then just go away and leave me alone. Use some other vessel."

The Master Potter replied, "Jar, I really want to use you. You are the only vessel I created to do this job." And he reached for him again.

"No!" shouted Jar. "I won't allow you to use me. I don't like how you made me. If you try to use me, I will break myself and will not be able to be used at all!"

The Master Potter was astounded. "You mean you would damage yourself because you are angry at me?"

"Yes, I will", warned Jar. "Don't even try to use me or I will break myself. When you are ready to make me like I want to be, then I will allow you to use me once more. Until then, just leave me alone and go find another vessel to use for the oil."

"As you wish, little Jar", said the Master Potter.

So the Master Potter chose another vessel to be used for the oil. This new vessel was not bigger or better in any way than Jar. But he was so humbled and honored to be chosen by the Master Potter, that he was very willing to be used. He never complained about the thankless job he had. And he didn't care that he wasn't the most beautiful vessel in the shop. He was just happy to be useful.

Many years passed. The Master Potter created and used many vessels. But Jar was not one of them. He just sat there being stubborn and angry and refusing to be used. But eventually, he grew weary. He was tired of just sitting there not doing anything. And he was collecting cobwebs. Being used as a home for spiders was even more degrading than what he was before! His shine was dulling and he was becoming filled with dust. He missed the way the Master Potter used to wipe him off and lovingly rub his finish to a bright sheen. He was even starting to crack in places. He realized that not being used at all was much worse than he had thought.

One day, Jar addressed the Master Potter, "Master, I am sorry I was so rebellious and stubborn. I realize that it is no fun at all sitting on the shelf and never being used. My oil is all dried up and I am decaying from disuse. Would you forgive me and use me once more?"

The Master Potter said, "Jar, I am willing to use you now. I was just waiting for you to ask. I forgive you. I will clean you up and use you again. However, the job of holding oil for the making of bread is already taken by another vessel. The only job I have for you right now is to hold the ashes from the fire. It is a very dirty job. Your exterior will always be covered with dust and your beautiful paint will not even show. No one will see you or notice you, but me. Is that going to be all right?"

"Yes, Master. I will do anything, even hold the ashes", said Jar humbly.

"Very well, Jar. I am very pleased that you want to be of use to me. But it is too bad that so many years went by while you sat on the shelf. I have made many loaves of bread in that time and used much oil. But you had no part in that. The bread was made without you. That lost time can never be gotten back."

I know, master. I am sorry I wasted all that time and the opportunity to be useful to you in the making of bread. I had much time to think while I sat on the shelf. I know now that the imperfections inside of me caused me to rebel against you. Instead of asking you to change me or make me different, I could have asked you to help me overcome my imperfections of pride, rebellion, and selfishness. Maybe then I could have been of use to you. Thank you for forgiving me. I will do whatever you ask. Please use me again."

And so the Master did.

Author - B.J. Nicol