In God's Hands A "Cracked Pot" Can be Useful

Dear Friends,

I came across The Story of a Cracked Pot a few weeks back and it greatly encouraged me.  Have a read:

“A waterbearer in India had two large pots, one hung on each end of a pole, which she carried across her 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 mistress's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

Powered b

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to her master's house.

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 own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two 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, and I want to apologize 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 mistress'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.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in her compassion she said, "As we return to the mistress's house, 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, and this cheered it some.

But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.

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 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 mistress's table. Without you being just the way you are, she would not have this beauty to grace her house."  (Author Unknown)

Sometimes I can look at others and all they are accomplishing for God and then I look at myself, my poor health, my inadequacies, my weaknesses and I become discouraged that I’m not able to accomplish all that I want to for God.  This is the problem of comparing myself with others and thinking about what I WANT not what GOD WANTS.  When I focus on God, I realise that he knows me exactly as I am and he uses me for his glory when I serve him from a place of weakness.  My weaknesses and inadequacies cause me to lean on him and depend on his strength.  I’m aware that whatever I do is because of him working through me.  He uses me despite my imperfections and weaknesses. Paul wrote to the Corinthians in his letter 2 Corinthians 12:9 “But he (God) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” For me, being aware of my weakness stops me from trying to do it all in my own strength and taking pride in what I can accomplish.  It helps me take my focus off myself and onto God.

There’s no point in wasting time and energy thinking about how things could have been if it wasn’t for our ill health, or not getting the promotion we’d expected, or not being married yet, or whatever we see as the cause of the “crack” or “flaw” in our pot.  I think it’s about coming to that place of acceptance and saying to God, “Ok, God, use me as I am, with my weaknesses, and bring glory to your name.”  Then I believe God will honour that request.  Who knows all that will be achieved when we allow God to work through us.

Think about some of the people God used in the bible, such as Moses, with his stutter who led God’s people; Rahab, a prostitute who saved God’s spies, Joshua and Caleb; David, an adulterer and murderer, who was a great King and a man after God’s own heart; Mary, a virgin and a nobody until she made herself available to be the mother of Jesus; Gideon, who was timid and insignificant until God enabled him to rise up as Judge of Israel...and the list goes on.  God loves to use those who, perhaps from the world’s point of view would not be worth considering, to accomplish his will.

Most of us are “cracked pots” but this doesn’t eliminate us from being useful to God.  It may eliminate us from the world’s point of view of being worth much, but God doesn’t see things as the world does.  God says about himself in Isaiah 55:8 “’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord.”  God desires us to place ourselves in his hands, make ourselves available to him and allow him to use us as he sees fit.

To Think About:

Don’t allow what you perceive as your weaknesses and inadequacies to eliminate you from being available and useful to God.

Perhaps because of circumstances you aren’t able to do what you have always wanted to do for God, but is he taking you in another direction?  Does he want to use what you see as a weakness to become a strength and a blessing to others?

Are you making yourself available to God to be used by him as he sees best?