Acknowledging our flaws

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hanging on the end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it and only delivered a half a pot of water, 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.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the water bearer delivering only one and a half pots of water to his master. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, being perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed and continually miserable over its imperfection which caused it to accomplish only half of what it had been designed to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, the cracked water pot spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself,” he told him, “and I want to apologize to you.” “Why?” asked the bearer. “What are you ashamed of?” “For these past two years I have been able to deliver only half my load because of the crack in my side which 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, but you don't get 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, as usual, it had leaked out half of its water, and so again it apologized to the water bearer for its consistent failure. The bearer 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 is because I have always known about your flaw, and took advantage of it by planting flower seeds on your side of the path. And every day for these past two years when we would walk back from the stream, you watered them. As a result of your flaw, you have been able to supply these beautiful flowers for me to pick and decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”

Each of us has our own unique flaws. We are, most of us, cracked pots. We all have some sort of imperfection whether they are obvious or not.

Don’t be afraid of them.

Acknowledge them, go out boldly and you too, can be the cause of beauty.

Know that in our weakness we find our strength.