Cracked Pots

This is actually an email that a close friend of mine sent me recently. I used to skip right over forwards and the such, but if it is sent to me by a godly friend in Christ then I usually find them useful in some way at some point. The point of this little story is a point that I want to emphasize in the early stages of a new church. I want to make it a point to find the gifts and talents of each and every person that comes through the doors and get them plugged in to a ministry that helps them use that gift.
An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole, which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, thevcracked pot arrived only half full.For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringingvhome only one and a half pots of water.Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, andvmiserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, itvspoke to the woman one day by the stream."I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?""That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back,you water them."
"For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."
The point here is that we have to understand that we all have faults and weaknesses. We have all done something in our lives that we aren't proud of, use that experience to help others avoid it.
Some of us have been through some really tough times, use those times and your experience to help others through those times.
Others of us have through all things thrown our way, grown closer and closer to God. We've grown our roots upward toward God rather than downward to earth, if that is you, then continue to grow that way and take others with you.
In my experience in youth ministry over the past 8 years is that the kids who have done the worst things or who have been through the toughest times turn out to be the ones who impact the kingdom of God with the most passion. So seek out the potential in others and not just their faults. God will use their faults to grow great flowers and produce great fruit if we continue to point them in the right direction.
Genesis 3:11 Moses said, " Who am I that I should go to Pharoah and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" Moses himself saw his own faults and weaknesses rather than his potential in Christ. So take your faults and your mistakes and give them to God. Then let God use them to allow you to glorify Him for them.
Thanks again for reading and keep on praying!!!!!