Sunday, February 24
But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. –2 Corinthians 4:7-10
The Cracked Pots
The story is told of an elderly Chinese woman who walked to the well each day with two large pots hung on the ends of a pole she rested across her back. One pot always delivered a full pot of water to her home; the other pot had a crack in it. It dripped water the whole way home, and the most it ever brought to the woman was half a pot of water.
When asked why she continued to use the cracked pot, she pointed to the trail of flowers that grew along the path. Years ago, when she first discovered the crack, she planted flower seeds alongside the path where the pot dripped. Before long, she began to enjoy fresh flowers all the way home. The cracked pot, though imperfect, was as valuable to the old woman as the pot without flaws.
Sometimes we despair in our brokenness, O God. Lead us, we pray, to hope. Help us trust that you are at work in and through our “cracks” to bring beauty to our world. Amen.