An Old Legend
A Biblical Truth

A water bearer in India had two large pots, one hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck and shoulders. One of the pots had a crack in it, and 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.

For two years this was the daily routine, with the water 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, performing perfectly the reason for which it had been made. On the other hand the cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfections, and felt itself a failure since it was only capable of accomplishing half the task it had been made to do. The bitterness grew and the cracked pot finally found the courage to speak to the bearer. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you." "Why?" Asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?" "I have failed to fulfill the purpose for which I was made. I am only capable of delivering half the water, because of the crack in my side. You have to do all this work and you do not get full value for your efforts," the pot said.

The water bearer said to the pot, "Have you noticed the flowers that grow along side of the path? They are there because I planted seeds, knowing that as we walked back up the path your dripping water would nourish them. I have been able to provide flowers for the master's table because of the water that you provided the flowers. Without you being just the way you are, there would have been no time to grow the flowers. You have not failed, your flaws have been put to good use."

We are all "cracked pots." Read 2 Corinthians 4 : 17-18, and see that God uses all of us "just the way we are," so long as we have been cleansed from our sins by the blood of Christ. Often folks apologize for things they cannot do, may I suggest that we do what we are able to to and rejoice that we are honoring God by using what He gave us.