An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots. Each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.
One of the pots 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 walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course , the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house." The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw,
so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day, while we walk back, you water them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without your being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."
One of the pots 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 walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course , the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house." The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw,
so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day, while we walk back, you water them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without your being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."
Each of us has our own unique flaw, but it's the cracks and flaws we
each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.
You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good
in them.
each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.
You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good
in them.
So, now when I think of myself as a "cracked pot" , I have to remember to smell
the flowers on my side of the path! There's lessons whereever we look!
the flowers on my side of the path! There's lessons whereever we look!
4 comments:
I love that story. I am glad to be reminded of it again. Yes, I am one of those cracked pots also. Thank God He loves me anyway.
I've read that before and you are right...it is a fantastic story! The older I get, the more I realize, as you say, there are lessons everywhere if we will just pay attention. Great post...thanks!
What a nice analogy! love it, I certainly have cracks in my pot :o) and hope that I am helping flowers grow through my weaknesses too.
♥♥♥♥
annie
I love that lesson. I think it's true because when we realize we aren't perfect we're probably much more able to relate to all the other imperfect people in our lives.
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