News from the House
News from the Coach House
Broken Pot
Hi Everyone
Here’s a nice story told to me by my neighbour (over the fence from a safe distance!)
A water bearer had two large pots, each hung on the end of a long pole, which he carried around his neck.
One of the pots had a crack in it and the other was perfect. After a long walk to get water for the master’s house, the perfect pot delivered a full quota of water, while the cracked pot only delivered half.
This went on for a long time.
The perfect pot was proud of its achievements, but the cracked pot was ashamed at only being able to deliver half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what the cracked pot deemed to be bitter failure, it cried out to the water bearer as he stopped by the stream.
“ I am ashamed and I want to apologise to you” said the cracked pot
“Whatever for” said the water bearer. “what are you ashamed of?”
“ I have only been able to deliver half of my load in these last two years. This is because of the crack in my side causes water to leak. Because of my flaws you have to do all this work a and don’t get full value for your effort.”
The water bearer felt compassion for the pot and aske it to regard the flowers along the path as they travelled to the stream to cheer it up.
Indeed, as they walked, the pot noticed the flowers in the sun and was cheered up a little, but at the end of the journey, it had leaked out half its load and felt bad again.
The bearer said to the pot.
“Did you notice that the flowers were only on your 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 as we walk, you have watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these flowers to decorate my masters table. Without you being just the way, you are, he would have not had this beauty to grace his house”
Now I know that this is just a fable, but it has truth in it for us.
God created us, but we are flawed by sin.
You would expect God to only accept us once we were beautiful and sorted out… yes?
No! God uses us just as we are, faults, warts and all! Jesus is our acceptance to a Holy God.
We learn to be ‘clothed in Jesus’ – to ‘put on’ Jesus. Jesus is our covering
The Holy Spirit continues to make us more like Jesus on a daily basis and God continues to use us as we walk with Him, wherever we are in the process. ….. that should cheer you up!
Ephesians 3 19-20
“May you experience the love of Christ, though it is to great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think…”
I’m just reminded … that none of us deserve the label failure.
Stay safe, stay well, be blessed
Andy