The Parable of the Imperfect Pot

A water bearer in India carried two large pots on the end of a pole. He went daily to the stream and returned to his master's house with water. One of the pots was perfect, while the other had a crack, leaking at least half of its contents before the servant reached his master's home. After a year, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishment. However, the cracked pot was ashamed of its flaw and apologized for its inability to provide a full pot of water at the end of each day's journey. The water bearer told the cracked pot to notice the road as they returned from the stream. The cracked pot watched and saw a wide variety of beautiful flowers blooming only on one side of the road. The water bearer said, :I have always known about your flaw, so I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the road. Every day you watered them. If you hadn't been just the way you are, I wouldn't have been able to pick those beautiful flowers to grace my master's table. Each of us, like this pot has our own strengths and flaws. Uniqueness is what sets us apart from others. Our gift might be that we can make others laugh or that we live our life with integrity. Let's celebrate our own uniqueness, and try to find it in those around us as well.