THE CRACKED POT By Tim Philpot The following parable from an unknown source in India describes life pretty well. I read it in "Reckless Trust," an excellent book by Brennan Manning. A water-bearer in India had two large pots. Each hung on opposite ends of a pole that he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other was perfect. The perfect pot 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. Every day for two full years, the water-bearer delivered only one and a half pots of water. After the second year of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, the unhappy cracked pot 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," the cracked 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 cracked pot took notice of the beautiful wildflowers on the side of the path, bright in the sun's glow, and the sight cheered the pot up a bit. The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, not on the other pot's side? That is because I have always known about your flaw, and I have taken advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day, as we have walked 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 had this beauty to grace his house." I have always been frustrated about all the things that I have left undone. For instance, I tend to be disorganized. I stay frustrated about so many undone tasks. I have 100 ideas for every one that works. But now I realize, it's okay to be a "cracked pot." God sees our faults, and plants seeds along our path that need to be watered by the water that leaks from cracked pots like you and me. God uses even my disorganized mind to accomplish things that could never happen if I were organized. Wow! I feel much better knowing that God has planted some wild flowers (people who need the Lord) waiting for me to water them. In 2002, let the water from your leaks bring new life all around you.