There Is Good in You: Finding Purpose in Imperfection

A water bearer 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. 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. This happened every day for two years, with the bearer delivering only 1.5 pots of water to his master’s house.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its imperfection and miserable that it could accomplish only half of what it had been made 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 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 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 lamented.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old, cracked pot and 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 noticed the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the tile trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked half its load, and so it apologized again to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, “Did you observe that there were flowers only on YOUR side of the pathway, 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 have 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 are all cracked pots. Some of us don’t grow old gracefully; some aren’t so smart; some are tall, large, and big; some are bald; some are physically challenged, but it’s the cracks and flaws each of us has that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.

You just have 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!

— Author Unknown

Meditation: And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; – 1 Corinthians 12:23

Through the Love of Christ, Our Savior, All Will Be Well!