All things are His

A symbolic story goes that there was a master potter. His works were unique. And he thought that he was superior to God himself so far as craftsmanship went. Girish Bhandari writes.

A symbolic story goes that there was a master potter. His works were unique. And he thought that he was superior to God himself so far as craftsmanship went. He challenged God to appear and compete with him. God appeared and the great craftsman asked him to produce his masterpiece. God took a lump of clay and made a figure that was crude but was unmistakably human. The craftsman laughed. “That is what you call a masterpiece,” he asked derisively.

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“Now look at what I can make.” The craftsman took a piece of clay and just as he was to handle it, God asked him to stop. “First bring your own clay and then make your masterpiece.” The craftsman replied, “But this is my clay. I bought it the other day.”

“You bought it but did not make it. First make and then work on it.” The craftsman started pondering. He realised that he had made nothing in the form of resources during his entire life. In fact, no man ever had. People make use of resources available in nature and do not realise that they are using what God has given them. He prostrated. He realised that his gift as a master potter was also God-given.

Alexander the Great realised the greatness of God and His creations when life was flowing out of him. He ordered, the legend goes, that his body be carried with his empty palms shown to the public. He had realised that, in spite of “conquering” half the then known world, he had conquered nothing. He was as empty handed in death as when he was born!