BROKEN OR GIFTED?

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY

A Midweek Spiritual Workout with
Fr. Marino H. Msigala, O.F.M. Capuchin

BROKEN OR GIFTED?

 

An elderly woman had two large water pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across the back of her neck. One of the pots had a crack, while the other was perfect and always delivered a full gallon of water. At the end of the long walks from the stream to her house, the pot with the crack arrived only half full.

For a full two years, the woman brought home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot took pride in its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable 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, it spoke 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. Your imperfection is a gift.”

On this SPIRITUAL WORKOUT WEDNESDAY, know that God, our Father, loves us just as we are, with all our flaws. He transforms our imperfections into gifts that we didn’t know we had. Sometimes God makes use of our shortcomings to serve others in ways we would not have considered. Our perfect Father continually perfects our imperfections. “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)