I once read a story by Brennan Manning that has been on my mind, so I want to share it. It’s about a water-bearer who has two pots. Every day, he walks to the river, fills both pots, and carries them back to his Master’s house. One of the pots has a crack in it, so by the time he finishes his trip, it is only half full. The other pot, which is uncracked, works perfectly and never loses a drop. Over time, the cracked pot begins to feel ashamed.
One day, the cracked pot spoke to the water bearer. It said, “I am deeply ashamed and wish to ask for your forgiveness.” The water bearer responded, “What are you ashamed of, and why do you think I should forgive you?” The pot replied, “Every day, you carry both of us to the river and fill us up. However, my flaw causes me to leak. You work so hard, and I cannot even hold the water you put into me.” The water bearer then told the cracked pot that he wanted it to look at the path the following day and observe what it saw.
When they returned the next day, the cracked pot shared what it had observed. “I didn’t notice anything during the trip to the river, but on the way back, I saw beautiful flowers blooming on my side of the path leading to the house.” The water bearer replied, “That’s right. I planted those seeds there. I knew about your flaw, which is why I chose you. All this time, I have been using you to water the flowers along the path. I collect the flowers and place them on the Master’s table. In this way, you bring Him a great joy.”
One might conclude that the moral of this story is that God loves imperfect people, and the Holy Spirit uses our flaws to share Jesus with the world. While this is true, the deeper lesson is that the flawed pot could have avoided a lot of pain if it hadn’t compared itself to others. By avoiding comparison, it could have felt more confident and content. This would have allowed it to fulfill its purpose without the torment of insecurity.
Every day, I encounter beautiful souls—people whom God loves deeply—who believe they are inept, unworthy, and unqualified. When I ask them how they reached that conclusion, the answer is nearly universal. They have been focusing on their flaws instead of looking to Jesus. As Lysa TerKeurst states, “How dangerous it is to hold up the intimate knowledge of our imperfections against the outside packaging of others.”
Here’s the crux of the matter: we are all cracked pots, which is precisely why we need a Savior. Embrace who you are. Jesus values your need for Him and sees it as a beautiful part of your journey—He finds you utterly irresistible. Open your heart to Him completely, imperfections included. You might be surprised to discover that your unique struggles are the very things through which He shares His Kingdom with others.
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