This endearing story that I saved many years ago popped up in one of my folders this week. Perhaps someone will discover something very important today.
A water bearer in India had two large pots; each hung on an end of a pole that he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it. The perfect pot 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 always arrived only half full.
Each day for two years, the water bearer delivered only one and a half pots full of water to his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, fulfilling to perfection the role for which it was made. 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 created to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, the cracked pot spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you." "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 sadly.
The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot. With compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house today, 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. This cheered the pot some, but at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load. So again the pot apologized to the bearer for its failure.
The bear 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 your being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."
Actually, all of us are "cracked pots" with unique flaws. Our response to that fact is crucial to what we will become. If we realize our potential, in spite of our imperfections, we naturally reach forward. If we focus on our imperfections, we tend to compare ourselves with others, leading to the false belief that we have nothing to offer. This mindset deceives us into feeling unimportant or insignificant.
By simply acknowledging our imperfections and moving forward, we will discover that we, like the imperfect pot, can be the cause of beauty. Just as the water bearer saw the unique contribution the imperfect pot could make in pleasing the king, so God sees our full potential and will help us bring pleasure to Him and become a source of beauty to others here on earth.
[Source unknown]