A water bearer had two large pots that hung
on the pole he carried across his neck. One pot was
perfect. The other was cracked. The cracked
pot was ashamed of its imperfections and miserable that it
was only able to accomplish half of what it had been made
to do.
I'm a bitter failure. I always lose
half of my load. Because of my flaws, you have to do
all this work and don't get full value from your efforts,"
said the pot.
The water bearer felt sorry for the cracked
pot. "As we return to the house I want you to notice
there are beautiful flowers only along one side of the
path. That is 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 every day while we
walked back from the stream, you have watered them.
Because of your flaw, I've been able to pick flowers to
decorate the table. Without you, just the way you
are, we would not have this beauty to grace out home."
