I am the potter, you are the clay.
God has many ways of teaching us how dependent we are, or should be, on Him. Some are verbal and written in Scripture. Others are lessons from creation and life.
I learned one such lesson from a wonderful story called The Cracked Pot. It helped me become less critical of myself. It taught me that God has beautiful ways of using me, even if I don't have the eyes or wisdom to see them.
The Cracked Pot
A water bearer in China had two
large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his
neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, 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 house, the cracked pot arrived 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 house.
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. 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 2 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, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."
The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?
At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived 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 house.
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. 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 2 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, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."
The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?
That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day, when we walk back, you have watered them. For two years, I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house"
MORAL: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them. There is a lot of good out there. There is a lot of good in you!
Blessed are the flexible,
for they shall not be bent out of shape.
It's the cracked pots that keep life interesting ....
It's the cracked pots that keep life interesting ....
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