Does the greatest love flow from a cracked pot? It did at Calvary! And it can in our lives too!

Does the most beautiful promise come after the greatest storm? It did when God set His bow in the cloud after the great flood, and it did in Job's life...and it can in ours too!

Does the most beautiful perfume come from crushed petals? It did in the dying voice of the martyrs...and it can in our lives today too!

Thus I believe God allows us to be crushed, broken, and tempest tossed....so that our lives can exhibit the greatest fragrance for Him! Rather than looking at our flaws or failures, or the wounds we've had to endure, as things to resent...we can see them as tools to make us into stronger more radiant people, ready for His kingdom!

To bring this thought closer home, let me share an inspiring allegory that was recently brought to my in-box and attention. :-)

A water bearer in India had two large pots. Each pot 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 half pots full 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 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 the 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 then 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 watered them. For two years now, 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."

Moral of the story: Each of us has our own unique cracks and flaws. We're all cracked pots. But if we will allow it, the Lord will use our flaws to grace His father's table. What a profound and beautiful lesson. Thanks Julie for bringing this story/allegory back to my attention. I had it in my own e-mail files, but had not thought about it for awhile, so it was encouraging to remember.