Are you convinced that your particular circumstances make happiness and enjoyment impossible for you? Well, it’s not true! The keys that God offers you are designed to open doors that you may have thought were locked forever.
Learning to be happy with yourself is a very important key to enjoying your life. If you know that God wants you to enjoy life, why does it sometimes seem impossible? Could it be that you’re unhappy with yourself because you’re not perfect? God doesn’t require us to be perfect—He made us, and He knows we’re human and will make mistakes. Our job is to get up every day and do our best to use the keys He has provided for us. And when we fail, we must get right with God, receive His forgiveness and go on. We need to quit being so hard on ourselves and enjoy our lives right where we are.
Many people feel that God can’t use them because they’re not perfect—this is a lie. God (the Potter) uses cracked pots (that’s us) to do His work. As Christians, we are containers that God wants to fill with His goodness and light. Then we’re to carry that goodness and light to a dark world, sharing it with people everywhere we go. Don’t be afraid of your flaws; acknowledge them and allow God to use you anyway. Quit worrying about what you’re not and give God what you are.
I once read a story that beautifully illustrates the value of cracked pots:
A water bearer in India had two large pots hanging at the ends of a pole that he carried across his neck. One of the pots was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house. The other pot had a crack in it, and by the time it reached its destination, it was only half full. Every day for two years the water bearer delivered only one and one-half pots of water to the master’s house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments—perfect to the end for which it was made. The poor little cracked pot was ashamed of its imperfections and miserable that it could accomplish only half of what it had been designed to do. After two years of what the imperfect pot perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer and said, “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.”
“Why?” asked the bearer, “What are you ashamed of?”
“Well, for these past two years, I have been able to deliver only half a load of water each day because this crack in my side allows water to leak out all the way back to the master’s house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all this work without getting the full value of your efforts,” the pot said.
The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.” Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot noticed the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because half of its load had leaked out once again.
Then the bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path and not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I’ve always known about your flaw and took advantage of it by planting flower seeds on your side of the path. Every day as we walked back from the stream, you watered those seeds, and for two years I have picked these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just what you are, he would not have had this beauty to grace his house.”
Like that cracked pot, you too can accomplish wonderful things. You can make somebody happy. You can encourage, edify and exhort those around you. You can use your gifts and talents to serve God—and as a bonus, you’ll learn to have joy in every area of your life.
