A Clay Jar
One day a man was given a clay jar into his care. At first he kept it with all his other jars on one side of the room. But this jar was different to all the rest. Now this man lived in the darkness, and hated all light. This particular clay jar emitted a faint glow that none of his others did. For a while he bore with the unnatural presence, keeping his back to the jar and moving it to a shelf in the darkest corner he could find, hiding it behind other jars. But the light did not flicker, and it had a presence he could feel all the time. Hate for the light of the clay jar grew in him until he decided he had to put it out.
The man yelled at the clay jar and hit it, knocking it onto the ground causing a small crack to open in its side. A sliver of light streamed from it. In anger the man kicked the jar, but it only rolled over, so he kicked it again and again. A flake came off the jar, and from that place the light shone brighter. Another three flakes crumbled away and the man picked up the glowing clay jar and glared at it.
Deciding to make an end of it once and for all, he lifted the cracked, clay, jar high in the air. Then in one sweeping motion brought it down and down, as it sped through the darkness it gleamed even brighter. In its final moments the light got so strong that the man could see the room around him for the first time in his life, but he ignored that fact and with a final effort brought the jar crashing into the stone table top before him, where it shattered into innumerable pieces. The light inside burst forth and filled the room with its unnatural presence; showing up the dirt on the floor and the stains on the cold walls and the stone furniture.
Then the light faded, almost. Three of the other clay jars on the shelf were not hidden in the darkness. Each one of them had an almost indistinguishable gleam, as if they had caught a particle of the first jars light. Now indeed the first jar was no more, but the light inside it lived on, in fact it was spreading.
2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
This verse caught my eye as I was reading the my bible today and so this, admittedly odd and short, story came into existence. The study notes said how we are jars of clay and I was thinking at that time about shining light into the dark world and such. It is also kind of like my Just One Candle short story I wrote back in May.
We each have been given gifts, talents. We are called to use them for God's glory and so shine out as a light in the darkness. Some people will hate us for that, some will try snuff out our light, sometimes it won't feel as though we are making a difference. But if you are shining, even only the smallest glimmer, it will make a difference.
We each have been given gifts, talents. We are called to use them for God's glory and so shine out as a light in the darkness. Some people will hate us for that, some will try snuff out our light, sometimes it won't feel as though we are making a difference. But if you are shining, even only the smallest glimmer, it will make a difference.
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2 comments
I like your unique story, Clare. Good point and interesting way to make it!
ReplyDeleteThanks, so glad you like it.
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