Give me a word, Lord: CRACKED POTS

2 Corinthians 4:6-10 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

Yesterday, we talked about the potter and the clay parable and how we are molded and shaped by the hand of God. But what about when the pot gets cracked? Let’s talk about cracked pots today.

Paul is using this illustration of the treasure in clay jars as a metaphor for Christ in us humans. Back in Paul’s day, there were no banks. Money, valuables, and jewelry were stored in unassuming plain old clay pots. The pots were cheap to make, and they were readily available and pretty inconspicuous. The pots were just plain old pots, but inside the pot was a mighty treasure. When we are filled with Christ, we may look like a plain Jane like myself, but oh what a treasure there is on the inside of that plain Jane vessel! If we keep the treasure all to ourselves, we’re not doing any good. We have share Christ with others.

As we go through life and occasional struggles, we sometimes become a little broken. We get a chip here or we get a crack there. We get pressed hard at times, but we are not crushed. We recognize that we are cracked, but through the grace of God we are able to overcome whatever situation it was that cracked us in the first place. We then give glory to God, and that’s when His light shines through. His light shines boldly through our cracks for the world to see.

I read a story about a water bearer. Every day, he went to draw water for his master. He took two pots. One pot was cracked, and by the time he made it home each day, the cracked pot was only half full, while the other pot was completely full. The full pot complained to the water bearer, and the cracked pot felt bad about not doing his job well. He apologized. The water bearer told the cracked pot that he already knew about his flaw, and he used it to his advantage. He said that he planted seeds along the path, and each day, the cracked pot sprinkled water on the seeds and beautiful flowers grew. The water bearer was able to pick flowers for his master’s table daily because of the cracked pot.

We may look a little broken. We may feel that life has got us down. We feel cracked. Just remember that Christ is inside of you, and He shines brightest through those cracks. Use those cracks to share His glory. I’m thankful for my cracks. Being a cracked pot isn’t so bad!

(The picture today is the bottom of an old clay chiminea that broke years ago. I saved it, filled it with dirt, and I’ve grown many a beautiful flowers in that old cracked pot!)