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 its 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 imperfection, and felt 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 by the stream one day.

"I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologise 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 of this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaw, you have to do all this work, yet not get full value for your efforts," the pot said.

The water-bearer felt sorry for the pot, and in his compassion, said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to take note of the beautiful flowers along the path."

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot looked at the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers along the path, and was a bit cheered. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad about leaking out half its load. So again, it apologised to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said: "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's? That's  because I had always known about your flaw, and took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day as we walked back from the stream, you had 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 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.

From Starmag