"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." (I John 1: 7)

From the Pastor’s Desk

Do you have weaknesses?  Deficiencies?  Faults and failures, even self destructive behaviours and attitudes? 

If you can answer yes to any or all of these questions, then congratulations, you are human!  And you can probably resonate with what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth :

The Lord said to me:” My grace is enough for you, my power is made perfect in weakness.”  So I go so far as to boast about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

I Corinthians 12:9,10

Here is a story I came across about the lessons we can learn from our weaknesses

The Cracked Pot

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on the either end of a pole, which he carried across his neck.  One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot 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 cracked pot arrived only half full.

For two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots of water to his master’s house.  Of course the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made.  But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, the cracked pot spoke to the water bearer:  “I am ashamed of myself,” the pot said, “and I want to apologize to you.  I have been able, for these past two years, to deliverer only half of my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master’s house.  Because of my flaws, you have to do all this work, and you don’t get the full value of your efforts.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot and in his compassion the bearer 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 took notice of the sun warming the beautiful, wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some.  But at the end of the trail, the pot still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side?  That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it.  I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them.  For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table.  Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”

May God use every one of your flaws and weaknesses to full advantage, for the furtherance of Christ’s work and the firmer establishment of his kingdom.  And may your beauty grace his house, now and always. 

God bless and keep you,

Diane