Tuesday, January 29, 2008

The Broken Pot

"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. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties,  for when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
As I view this broken pot, I think about a story I once heard about the "Broken Water Pot". There were two pots that were yoked together to gather water from a well. One of the pots was cracked and the other was whole. The broken pot was ashamed that he was not perfect and was only bringing half the amount of water that the whole pot carried. The whole pot was proud and exclaimed to everyone that he carried the full amount of water. After two years of feeling disappointed about the crack in his pot he began to apologize for his flaw. The water carrier told him, "why are you discouraged? Don't you realize what you have done? Look back at the path in which we have walked for two years. See those flowers in bloom? Those are the flowers that you have watered through the crack in your pot that has been watering seeds that are now flowers."
Have you ever been broken and felt that you were utterly useless? Even in those times, God is using this time to water the seeds on the path. Just as a friend emailed me today, she told me, "God does not truly waste a hurt...". There is a purpose in pain and just as the broken water pot, it did not realize what was really happening!
This also reminds me of a time when I was ministering to a young lady whose heart had been broken. I reminded her of a story that I once heard from a Pastor on the radio, and it was also about the image of a cracked pot. I saw all the pieces of the broken pot shattered on the ground. God did not allow those pieces to lie on the ground.  God picked up all the pieces off the floor and put them all back together again. The pot was whole again but the cracks were still there. Think about this... God has put glue between each piece, and now through the brokenness, something has been ADDED.
So if you are going through a time of brokenness, rest assured,  God is picking up the pieces, gluing them together and He is adding something to your character. You think God is going to waste a hurt? No way, He is going to use you and your story to lift up another broken pot along the way. Know that you will be watering some precious flowers along the path of life. Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But if we will allow it, the Lord will use our flaws to grace our Father's table.

Story of the Broken Water Pot

2 comments:

Lisa T. said...

I had read the story of the broken water pot before and truly it brought tears to my eyes. It reminded me how much God uses even the most flawed of His children. Thank you for bringing this to our attention again...

Pam Zunic said...

Koko, I am grateful that this story brought a greater awarness to you. As Christians, we may not realize, but the Holy Spirit that lives within us spills out to others, just as the light permeates the darkness, the love of Christ touches others. May I always be a cracked pot, if it means that others will benefit from the love of Christ through me!