THE CRACKED POT

THE CRACKED POT

If you think you have no value because of your imperfections, consider this:

There were two pots that served one woman’s need to provide water for her family.  One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.  So at the end of each day’s long walk from the stream back to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.  For two years this went on, with the woman bringing home only one-and-a-half pots of water.  Of course, the perfect pot was very proud of its accomplishments.  But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its imperfections, and quite miserable that it could only do half of what it had been designed to do.

After two years of what it perceived as total failure, the imperfect pot spoke to its master by the stream.  “I am really ashamed of myself,” the pot admitted sadly, “because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your home.”  The old woman simply smiled, “Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side?  That’s because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.  For two years I have been able to pick those beautiful flowers to decorate our dinner table.  Without you being just the way you are, we would not have all that wonderful beauty to grace our home.”

Each one of us has unique flaws.  Perhaps it’s the cracks and flaws we have that make our lives together so interesting and rewarding.  Lesson learned: Look for the good in every person.  To all of my ‘crackpot friends,’ please remember to discover and appreciate the flowers on your side of the pathway.

-Author Unknown

Should you require biblical confirmation for the foregoing parable, tune in to Paul:

II Corinthians 12:7-10

⁷ And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

⁸ For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

⁹ And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

While I am not promoting our shortcomings, it is uncanny and awesome how God uses our weaknesses for His Kingdom and His glory.  I am gratified that God chooses “the foolish things of the world to confound the wise…and the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.” (I Corinthians 1:27)  Perhaps, this is why God is able to use someone like me…and possibly, that is why He can utilize someone like you.  My sisters and brothers, be continually blessed!

GET OVER YOURSELF!

GET OVER YOURSELF!

The fastest and most effective way to escape from feelings of personal rejection, pain, doubt, despair, or depression is to get up (right now), get moving (right now) and resolve (today and every day) to focus on the needs of others.  Whether you know it or not, GOD wants to use YOU!  So why are you sitting there, passively waiting for some random event to occur?  Whenever you move in the power of GOD...YOU become His proactive, productive and powerful agent for miracles!

My sister, my brother, cancel your pity party!  Haven’t you noticed by now that no one shows up for it but you?  Be faithful and fruitful in the KINGDOM OF GOD and (as a direct result) be eternally blessed.  Amen? 

Amen!  Amen!  Amen!

THE WORRY TREE

THE WORRY TREE

Paresh, an Indian carpenter, was hired to restore an antique farmhouse.  He had just finished a very trying and difficult first day on that new project.  A flat tire on his truck caused him to be an hour late for work, his electric saw broke down during a critically important task and his ancient pickup truck refused to start at the end of the workday.  During the drive home (courtesy of a co-worker), Paresh did not say one word; he just sat there, shrouded in a pensive cloud of silence.

Upon arriving home, Paresh invited the co-worker to meet his family, as was the custom of his people.  But as they walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands.  When opening the door to his home, Paresh had undergone an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles as he warmly hugged his two children and gave his wife a gentle kiss.

After a cup of tea, Paresh walked his co-worker to the car.  They passed the tree where Paresh had stopped earlier and his co-worker’s curiosity got the best of him.  He asked him why he had paused there before.

“Oh, that's my trouble tree,” Paresh responded quickly.  “I know I can’t help having troubles on the job, but one thing for sure, troubles don’t belong in our house with my wife and children.  So I just hang them on the tree every night when I come home.  Then in the morning I pick them up again. Funny thing is,” Paresh smiled winningly, “when I come out in the morning to pick them up, there aren’t nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before.”

Think about it.  Sometimes all it takes is one night’s rest to gain fresh perspective.  For your information, I too have a “Trouble Tree.”  It’s called prayer.  Sisters and brothers, live in peace and be continually blessed!

STOP WATERING WEEDS

STOP WATERING WEEDS

Today’s devotional is based on a recent facebook posting by my daughter, Kimberly Marcelle Bass.  Upon reading it, I was immediately illuminated with the insight that too much of our time and energy is expended interacting with people, things and situations that do not edify us.  Instead of nurturing the flowers that have been divinely planted in our lives, our attention is somehow drawn (irrationally) to those persistent and negative weeds that seek to choke us and paralyze our progress.

Interestingly enough, there are at least 172 varieties of weeds that constitute an ongoing challenge for American farmers and crops.  On the Internet, one can locate numerous weed identifiers, with descriptive characteristics and photos of troublesome weeds.  Farmers rely on such sources to maximize their harvests.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had strategic weed identifiers (in life) to alert us to the presence of human weeds and their decidedly negative agendas?  In fact, we do.  Personal prayer, Word study and ears attentively tuned in to the Holy Spirit are awesome and accurate weed identifiers, which are designed to safeguard our lives and our future.  We must use them!

Kingdom Principle Number One: Try to see people and life through the lens of love. (I Corinthians 13:1-7)  This proactive and positive approach will yield inner peace and sanity.  Also, it will diminish hypersensitivity, combating our tendency to feel degraded or offended by the attitudes and actions of others.

Kingdom Principle Number Two: Avoid fellowship with people who do not honor you or celebrate your successes.  Haters are malicious weeds.  If allowed, they will deplete optimism and drain energy.

Kingdom Principle Number Three: Don’t try to contest or disprove negative opinions.  It is a supreme waste and misappropriation of time and energy.  Those who are true friends actually need no explanations; those who are not friends will likely never be convinced by whatever you say.

Kingdom Principle Number Four: Eat the fish and throw away the bones.  While at times it seems impossible, you can survive and even thrive in work environments that are loaded with outright enemies or frenemies (friendly enemies).  Feelings of offense or pride often motivate us to disregard or discard their contributions, even those that might benefit us.  Please don’t drink the Kool-Aid of Pride!  Allow yourself to be blessed by your enemies whenever GOD orchestrates and allows it to be so.  Eat the fish and throw away the bones!

Kingdom Principle Number Five: Jesus Christ is our supreme arbiter and  final judge.  He instructs His Church to let the “wheat and tares” (false wheat or weeds) “grow together until the harvest.” (Matthew 13:30)  But remember: Christ’s admonition is actually intended for the corporate church, not for individual believers.  Within your own life, you must be extremely careful to establish clear and effective boundaries between yourself and that which could potentially destroy you and your Kingdom assignment.  Decide today to stop watering and cultivating any weeds that might creep into your garden.  The Creator has seeded a multiplicity of flowers in and around your life…infinite varieties with indescribable beauty.  Focus on the Flowers; pay attention to them; nurture and water them; and, be highly favored and bountifully blessed by them.

THE HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE OF ASH WEDNESDAY

THE HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE OF ASH WEDNESDAY

Today is Ash Wednesday, the traditional start of the Lenten season, which falls exactly forty-six days prior to Resurrection Day or Easter.  In some Christian traditions, ashes are applied to the foreheads of Christians, signifying repentance for sins.  The observance of Ash Wednesday dates back to the 8^th century A.D. when it was called “Dies Cinerum,” the day of ashes. 

Aelfric, an Anglo-Saxon abbot, gave us one of the earliest descriptions of this day: “We read in the books, both in the Old Law and the New, that the men who repented of their sins bestrewed themselves with ashes and clothed their bodies with sackcloth.  Now let us do this little at the beginning of our Lent that we strew ashes upon our heads to signify that we ought to repent of our sins during the Lenten fast.”  During the Middle Ages, ashes were sprinkled on the entire head, rather than applied to the forehead as is our practice today.  To underscore the seriousness of the observance of Lent, Aelfric wrote about a man who refused to go to church to be anointed with ashes and was accidentally killed while hunting.  It was indeed a serious day!

The practice of pouring ashes on one’s body and dressing in sackcloth (a very rough material) as an outer manifestation of inner repentance or mourning is an ancient biblical practice. (Job 42:6 – II Samuel 13:19 – Esther 4:1-3 – Jeremiah 6:26 – Ezekiel 27:30 – Daniel 9:3)  Christ, Himself, alludes to this practice in Matthew 11:21 – “Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” 

In the typical Ash Wednesday service, believers are summoned to the altar to be anointed with ashes prior to partaking in the sacrament of Holy Communion.  Traditionally, the ashes are applied to the forehead in the shape of the cross while the minister quotes the following scripture: “For dust you are and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19)  Of course, this is the judgment of death that God pronounced upon Adam and Eve subsequent to their disobedience and fall from grace.  On Ash Wednesday, it is a powerful reminder of our own mortality and brief stewardship on earth.  Additionally, it highlights our need to repent and to fully surrender ourselves before the Christ and cross of Calvary.

Some Christians choose to ‘wear’ their ashes all day long as a witness that, though all have sinned, salvation is freely available through the sacrificial atonement of Jesus Christ.  Just like the Lenten season, Ash Wednesday is never mentioned in the scriptures.  However, it is a meaningful celebration whenever it is observed with heartfelt sincerity, true repentance and conscientious discernment of Christ’s sacrifice.  Otherwise, it is merely a superficial act of ritual and religiosity.

The hope of the Lenten season is both embodied and revealed in its dramatic ending: the death, burial and triumphant resurrection of Jesus Christ.  On Resurrection Sunday, our ashes of mourning and repentance are replaced with unspeakable joy!  In the words of the Prophet Isaiah, “To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that HE might be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:3)