The Flaw in the Vessel

An elderly Navajo grandmother had two large pots, each hung on the end of a pole, which she carried across her neck as she brought water back to her home from the spring each day. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of her walk.

At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what the perfect pot could do. After 2 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, ” I have always known about your flaw. But you see, my grandchild made you, whereas I bought the other pot in the market. So you were the one I always loved. Because I loved her, I saw your “flaw” as her gift to me. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path. Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? We would water them together as I walked back from the spring each day.

Because of you, I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, I would not have all those beautiful flowers to grace our house and remind me of all the people and things which I love–all those people and things which make my life rich and meaningful. You remind me of the love I feel for her–my grandchild–each day.”

Each of us has flaws, but our weaknesses do not diminish our “value.” We don’t understand that our flaws make us vulnerable, open us to feel our hearts, and drive us out of our fear of life. Our flaws make us need others.

We compare ourselves to others and feel small, unimportant, worthless. We see only our weaknesses, our failures, our losses. We don’t understand that it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that are our gifts and that make us unique, fragile, precious and special. It is the flaws which make us loveable.