Instead of trying to correct the problem …

Instead of trying to correct the problem …

Many years ago, while on a visit to America, a wealthy Chinese businessman was fascinated by a powerful microscope. Looking through its lens to study crystals, he was amazed and most fascinated at their beauty and detail.  So with great delight he decided to purchase one and take it back to his homeland. 

Back home, this businessman was thoroughly enjoying using the fine instrument until one day he so happened to examine some rice he was planning to eat for dinner. Much to his dismay, he discovered that there were tiny living creatures crawling in it. 

Since he was especially fond of this staple food in his daily diet, he wondered what to do.  Finally he concluded that there was only one way out of his dilemma; he would destroy the instrument that caused him to discover this very distasteful fact! 

So in his denial and dismay he smashed the microscope to pieces. Yep, just broke that thing into scrap and there was nothing left but broken parts. "How foolish," we might say.

But many people do the same thing with their own discoveries about themselves and about life.

So often the heart of man will refuse an obvious truth and instead of trying to deal or correct the problem and make things better with their knowledge or discoveries, they attack, break and destroy the instruments that somehow enlighten or help  bring them a very clear insight to the real problems.

Sometimes a friend becomes our microscope! Sometimes our mates are those instruments!

Maybe a teacher or a relative magnifies our hidden problems and we refuse to see. But we have all in our own way, helped destroy the instrument of enlightenment and refused to correct the problem!

With warm regards,

Mirchandani

+91 9879514955

The Cracked Pot !

The Cracked Pot !

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on the end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots was perfectly made and never leaked. The other pot had a crack in it and by the time the water bearer reached his master’s house it had leaked much of it’s water and was only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his master’s house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.” “Why?” asked the bearer. “What are you ashamed of?” “I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master’s house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don’t get full value from your efforts,” the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.”

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again the pot apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”

Each of us has our own unique flaws. We’re all cracked pots. But if we will allow it, God will use our flaws to grace his table. In God’s great economy, nothing goes to waste. Don’t be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, and you too can be the cause of beauty. Know that in our weakness we find our strength.

With warm regards,

Mirchandani

+91 9879514955

Happy Deepawali

The Jar of Life

The Jar of Life

When things in your life seem to have got out of control, when all the hours in a day are just not enough, remember this story:
A professor stood before his philosophy class with a few items in front of him. When the class began, he picked up a very large empty Jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students if the Jar was full. They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the Jar. He shook the Jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the Jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the Jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the Jar was full. The students responded unanimous “yes.”
The professor then produced two cups of tea from under the table and poured the entire contents into the Jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this Jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things: family, children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.” The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else the small stuff.
“If you put the sand into the Jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.” The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the tea represented. The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how busy your life is, there’s always room for a couple of cups of tea with your loved ones.”

With warm regards,

Mirchandani

Look for the Extraordinary in the Ordinary

Two workers were approached by a reporter. The reporter asked the first worker, “What are you doing?” His response was to complain that he was virtually a slave, an underpaid bricklayer who spent his days wasting his time, placing bricks on top of one another.

The reporter asked the second worker the same question. His response, however, was quite different. “I’m the luckiest person in the world,” he said. “I get to be a part of important and beautiful pieces of architecture. I help turn simple pieces of brick into exquisite masterpieces.”

They were both right.

The truth is, we see in life what we want to see. If you search for ugliness you’ll find plenty of it. If you want to find fault with other people, your service, or the world in general, you’ll certainly be able to do so. But the opposite is also true. If you look for the extraordinary in the ordinary, you can train yourself to see it. This bricklayer sees cathedrals within pieces of brick. The question is, can you?

With warm regards,

Mirchandani