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The Parable of
the Cracked Pot
A water bearer had two large water pots. Each pot hung on each end
of a pole which the water bearer carried across his shoulders.
One pot was perfect. It always delivered a full portion of water at
the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house.
The other pot had a hairline crack in it and leaked. Each time the
bearer arrived at the master's house, the cracked pot was only half full.
For many months this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only
one and a half pots of water to his master's house.
The perfect pot was quite proud of its accomplishments.
The cracked pot, on the other hand, was deeply ashamed that it was
able to accomplish only half of what it had been designed to do.
One day the cracked pot could no longer bear with its imperfection
and asked the water bearer to discard it from use.
"Why?" asked the water bearer.
"I am a leaky old failure," the cracked pot replied in a
sad voice. "No doubt the master is angry with you because you bring him only one and a half pots of water
each day. Yet this tragedy is my fault, not yours. Please -- throw me aside and use a new pot."
"Presumptious little pot!" the water bearer said angrily. "By calling yourself a failure, you are
calling our master a failure. After all, it is he who assigned you to this job."
"But I'm cracked!" the bewildered little pot responded.
"Ah, now you are calling the master ignorant! Will your impudence
never cease? Of course he knows you're cracked. He knows everything about you!"
"Then why...?" said the pot, his potty little voice trailing
off in complete astonishment.
Giving no reply, the water bearer filled both pots with water and
began the trek back to the master's house. By and by, as he walked along, he said, "Look now at the flowers
on each side of the trail."
"I see them," the pot replied. "They are very beautiful."
"Do you see any flowers yonder in the fields?"
"Nay, sir, only along the sides of the trail," answered
the pot.
"So now you understand," the bearer said.
"Understand what?" the pot asked plaintively.
"Ay, have you no brains a'tall?" the bearer said. "Well,
I suppose not. After all, you're only clay. Well then... try and think, you silly little pot. This is a harsh,
dry land we live in, right? And flowers need water to live, right?"
"Er... yes sir."
"So then," the bearer continued, "where you go, there's
flowers. Where you don't go, there's only sand and cactus."
"My leak waters the flowers!" the cracked pot exclaimed.
"You've finally got it," the bearer muttered, rolling his
eyes. "Yes lad," he went on, "when I discovered the crack in you and reported it to the master,
he told me to plant flower seeds along the trail rather than throw you on the scrap heap. Because of you and your
crack, the master not only has water to drink, he also has lovely flowers to grace his house and land."
* * * * * * *
Teaching point #1 -- You can't call yourself a failure if you don't
know what your Master has in mind for you.
Teaching point #2 -- Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all of us cracked pots.
But if you keep on keeping on, God will fix some of your flaws, little by little. Other flaws He may leave with
you for a while -- to water the flowers!
And He (God) said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength
is made perfect in weakness.'' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ
may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses,
for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12.9-10, NKJ)
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