I am not one to pass things on, but something this week is telling me to post this.
I love this parable and I hope you do too.
A person carrying water had two large pots each hung on each end of a pole, which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its perfect accomplishments.
But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection. This went on daily for two full years. And finally the imperfect pot spoke to the water carrier one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.” “Why?” asked the carrier. “For two years, I have been able to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house,” the pot said. The water carrier replied, “As we return to the house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.” Indeed, as they went up the hill, the cracked pot noticed there were 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 for its failure. The carrier said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on the side of your path, but not on the other pot’s side? 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 table. Without you being just the way you are, I would not have this beauty to grace my house.”
Whoever wrote this story also wrote: “Each of us has our own unique flaws. We’re all cracked pots. But if we will allow it, our flaws are used to grace life’s table. Don’t be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, and you to can be the cause of beauty. Know that in our weakness we find our strength.”
