THE CRACKED WATER POT
A water bearer in India 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 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 a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only
one and a half pots full of water in 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 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 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.
The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he
said, "As we return to the master'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 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 you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."
The moral of this story is:
Each of us has our own unique flaws.
We're all cracked pots. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that
make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.
You've just got 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! Blessed are the flexible, for they shall
not be bent out of shape.
Remember to appreciate all the different people in your life!
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