**A water bearer in China had two large pots, each hung
on the ends of a pole which he carried across his
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 walk from the
stream to the house,the cracked pot arrived only half
full. For a full two years this went on daily, with
the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of
water to his house.
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its
accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. But
the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own
imperfection, & miserable that it was able to
accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.
After 2 years of what it perceived to be a bitter
failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the
stream. “I am ashamed of myself, and because this
crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way
back to your house.”
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’s because I have always
known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on
your side of the path, and every day while we walk
back, you’ve watered them. For two years I have been
able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the
table. Without you being just the way you are, there
would not be this beauty to grace the house"
Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We’re all
cracked pots. 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.
“I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs
but how high he bounces when he hits bottom” **