Called to be a Cracked-Pot
- Christen Moore
- Aug 23, 2022
- 6 min read
Updated: Sep 5, 2022
Frazzled Prayer: Heavenly Father, today I pray that my sweet Frazzled Friends would look for the light shining through in all of the cracks in their broken hearts. I pray that light would burn so bright it would burst out from every seam, flooding the lives of those around them with goodness of your love!
Oh, I see you! My own circus of fears, failures, hurts is reflected directly into the cracks you are trying desperately to cover up. Fractured, jagged lines we are all trying to keep trapped in the dark because we are ashamed of our brokenness. Well, my sweet Frazzled Friends.. it is time to let the light in!
Illustration by: Karen Barrett
The Story of the Cracked Pot
There once lived a water carrier. Every morning, as soon as the sun rose, she walked from her home to collect water in two earthen pots that hung from a long pole that she carried across her shoulders. One pot was perfectly formed, the other, although the same shape and size as its counterpart, had a crack in its side. So, whenever they returned to the water carrier’s house it was only ever half full.
For years, the water carrier repeated her journey to and from her house collecting water from the river. As the years passed by, the cracked pot created a story in its head about its level of worthiness and inability to properly perform the job for which it had been created. Eventually, the pain and shame that it felt about its own perceived imperfections, became too much for it to bear. So, one day as the water carrier knelt beside the river and began her usual task of filling the pots with water, the cracked pot found its voice and said;
“I am so sorry. For years and years, I have watched you fill me with water and I can only imagine what a fruitless task it must be for you. As whenever we return to home, I am only ever half full. While in comparison, the other pot is perfect, rarely does it lose a drop of water on our long walk back to our home, but me, I am far from perfect. This crack in my side, not only does it cause me so much hurt and shame, but it must also cause you to want to get rid of me. Surely, I am only making this long, arduous job that you do each day, that much more difficult? I can understand if you are thinking of getting rid of me and replacing me with another perfectly formed pot.”
The water carrier listened to these words with both care and compassion. The cracked pot’s story of unworthiness and shame was not one that she recognised. For this was not what she thought of the pot. She knew about the crack, but did not see it as an imperfection, or as something that made it less worthy than the other pot that hung from her shoulder.
Gently she turned to the pot and said, “On our return walk home, I want you to look up and to the side of you. For too long, it would seem you have been looking down, comparing yourself to others and not noticing how you and the crack that you have in your side has brought untold beauty into my life”
Puzzled, the Cracked pot wondered what on-earth her words meant. She seemed to be suggesting that its story of lack, unworthiness and shame, was in some way faulty. As to how this could be, it could not comprehend.
However, the Cracked Pot trusted the water carrier. It occurred to it that in all the time that it had journeyed with her, she had never said a harsh word, never scorned or ridiculed it, but had always shown a sense of gratefulness and care when filling it with water.
So, on the return journey it heeded the water carrier’s words. It looked up and it looked out. In its former depressed state, it had not noticed that along the path that they travelled there was a dazzling array of beauty, colour and life. The water carrier in her wisdom, knowing of the crack in the pot’s side, had sprinkled seeds along the path. These seeds were duly watered every day as a result of the crack in the pot’s side and the path that had once been barren and devoid of life was now resplendent with an array of beautiful wild flowers.
Now, the cracked pot understood. Now the cracked pot began to see itself in a new light. Now it understood that indeed it had been telling itself a faulty story. If its experience of being a ‘cracked pot’ was going to change then it would have to change the story that it was telling itself.
The author and storyteller, Geoff Mead
Beautifully Broken
We are the "Cracked-Pot".. not a single earthly vessel of flesh and bone can be the perfectly polished and sealed pot. On that note.. I'm not sure I want to be.. it's a heavy load and very dark work. I'll take a few cracks if it means letting the light in. Be of great courage and joy my friends because being broken wasn't an accident.. it was THE plan. So while you are pining over your weak and leaky parts.. let's take a deeper walk into the garden .
#1: The Pot Created a False Narrative
#2: The Water Carrier Cared Deeply
#3: The Water Carrier Had a Plan
#1: The False Narrative We Believe
Our sweet little pot had spent a long time pondering it's brokenness , no doubt comparing it's chipped and leaking walls to it's smooth and full functioning counterpart. Have you ever found yourself doing the same? Creating a mental list of all of your past, and current shortcomings and failures. Predicting repeat failures for the future...Checking of the list of perfections that you perceive people around you to have.. that you somehow will never measure up to? I have news for you .. that voice has a name.. it's called "Liar" or better yet.. "Father of Lies" .. the devil.He wants to put poison into your pot. Sweet friends.. don't believe the dark thoughts he plants.. When the powers of darkness are at work exposing and even tearing at those cracks.. look for the Light that comes slicing through the darkness! Know with all that you have .. that God WILL MAKE ALL THINGS GOOD. Even death has been overcome .. we are undefeated!
Romans 8:28- And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
#2: The Carrier Cares Deeply
Did you notice that when our little pot spoke up finally out of desperation her master, the water carrier, was not only deeply empathetic but seemed to not at all be surprised by the shameful admission of failure? That is because the Master knew all the time not only that the pot was cracked.. but also knew that the pot was deeply ashamed by it.The Master was patiently waiting for our broken vessel to finally speak her heart out.. so that then.. the Master could reveal how valuable our little friend really is.
Psalm 34:18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
#3: The Master Has a Plan
It was in the Master's great wisdom, compassion and knowledge that she in advance made a special plan that only a broken pot could fulfill. It was never a secret to the Master that her pot was broken.. in fact the Master had (in her foreknowledge) provided seeds along the path .. only on the side where the broken pot would be pouring out the life giving water every step of the way. The Master knew that each day, more and more of the broken pot's water would slowly seep deeper into the seeds and then into the roots that would develop over time.. and eventually a beautiful garden would span the length of the path from the river to her home.
Romans 8:29For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstbornnamong many brothers and sisters.
Our Father in heaven is our Master.. and in His infinite and beautifully loving wisdom He has seen your brokenness and mine.. He has given each of us to one another as seeds in the greatest garden you could ever imagine! We are all his he featured masterpieces each intricately pouring into one another's lives. It is out of the fractured souls and cracks in hearts that the light will come flooding through!
2nd Corinthians 1:3-4 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God
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