The Cracked Pot

A gardener in China had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect. Therefore, the first one always leaked its water, while the second one always delivered a pot full of water

The gardener worked for the Emperor, and his job was to tend to His Majesty’s garden. Every day, he would go to the stream, fill his two pots to the brim, and then walk along the path of the palace to the main garden, where he would empty the pots on to the bushes.  In addition, every morning, he would pluck the most beautiful flowers and take them to the King and Queen. They were very pleased with his work, designated him as the best gardener, and rewarded him handsomely.

Over the years, the cracked pot was beginning to feel miserable, for he realized half the water the gardener was carrying leaked out on the way, and so his contribution to the Royal garden was negligible compared to the other pot’s. Therefore, one day he spoke thus to the gardener:

“Sir, I am ashamed of myself. You take so much trouble to fill me with water each day, but because of an imperfection in me, you get only half the water you have filled. You do such hard work, but get hardly anything in return. Why don’t you just discard me into the rubbish heap, and get yourself another perfect pot like the other one, so that your hard work gets even better rewarded by the Emperor. “

The gardener looked at the cracked pot lovingly and said: “let me show you something”. So saying, he carried the pot along the path from the stream to the Palace that they were used to traversing every day. Along the path, he showed a line of the most beautiful flowers on one side, but not on the other.

The gardener then explained to the pot:” These are special and rare flowers, which require some water every day, but will wilt and die if given too much water in one go. Knowing that you have a leakage problem, I planted the seeds of these special flowers  along one side of the path, and when I walk on it every day, I ensure that you and not the other pot is held over this side of the pathway. This way, every day, these flowers get exactly the amount of water they need. If I had planted them along with the other flowers in the main garden, they would have wilted and died long back, but see how gorgeously beautiful they are now? And, what is more, the special accolades I have received from the King are on account of these very flowers, which other gardeners are never able to provide the Queen with.”

What the gardener was explaining to this cracked pot applies to all of us:

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it is the cracks and flaws we have that makes our lives so very interesting and rewarding. The Master Gardener who sent us to this world never looks at our flaws as flaws, but as essential parts of a Grand Design that is getting knit into the tapestry of