Our Own Unique Flaws

A water bearer had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole, which he carried across his neck. One of the pot had a crack in it, 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 always arrived only half full.

For two years this process went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his master's house. The perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, but the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection and was miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years, 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?"

"For the past two years, I have been able to deliver only half of my load because this crack in my side caused water to leak out all the way. Because of my flaws you are made to do all the work, and you don't get full value from your efforts", the cracked pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot and said compassionately, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

As they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers bloomed on the path. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again the pot apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side and 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 everyday while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years, I have been able to pluck these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

Friends, each one of us have our own unique flaws. We are all cracked pots. But if we will allow it, the Lord will use our flaws to grace His Father's table. Don't be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them and you too can be the cause of beauty. Know that in our weakness we find our strength with the help of God.

Why is it so? "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8,9)

God has created nothing hopeless and He will never allow anything go hopeless, unless we ourselves judge something to be useless or decide situations to be inescapable. In God's great economy, nothing goes waste!

That's why Paul (the author of the verse given below) is glad to do the silly thing of boasting about his weaknesses because he understands fully that our weaknesses and imperfections are a chance to see and experience the power of God in our lives. After all, if I didn't need help in anything, how could God help me in my life?

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

The point is not that God's strength needs help but that its is shown in its most perfect form when it is used to help the weakness of humans who call on Him for help. Paul goes on to say that He takes pleasure in his weaknesses. The word pleasure here means to desire, to think good, to be well pleased in our trials. In Paul's weaknesses Christ's power was made more apparent to others.

This is not a popular concept. We want to do things in our strength to feel self sufficient and not of need of anything. When a man marches forth in his own might and declares that his own right arm and his own doings will get him the victory, then defeat is not far distant. God will not go forth with a man who does things unaided by the divine strength of God.

We must serve the Lord in the way HE shows us and in His stength. He won't accept less. He wants to be the Master of us and we must be obedient. God will empty out all that we have before He will put His own into us. He will first clean out our graneries before He will fill them with the finest of wheat. Your emptiness is but the preparation of your being filled and your casting down is but the making ready for your lifting up.

Are you mourning over some form of weakness in your life? Be encouraged my friend. Do not despise your weakness for that is where His strength is made perfect. Allow God to break you as you submit to various circumstances for He does this for our good and His glory.

In the secret of God's tabernacle no enemy can find us, and no troubles can reach us. The pride of man and the strife of tongues find no entrance into the pavilion of God. The secret of His presence is a more secure refuge than a thousand Gibraltars. I do not mean that no trials come. They may come in abundance, but they cannot penetrate into the sanctuary of the soul, and we may dwell in perfect peace even in the midst of life's fiercest storms.

Every now and again, Our Lord lets us see what we would be like if it were not for Himself; it is a justification of what He said - "Without Me you can do nothing." That is why the bedrock of Christianity is personal, passionate devotion to the Lord Jesus.