Cracked Pots

I must confess….I’m a bit cracked. Well, maybe not a bit. A whole lot! There are a lot of cracks in my persona. Many I would like to forget, to cover up, to put something over so no one else can see them. But do you want to know something? If we are honest with ourselves, we’re ALL cracked. And the beauty of that is… God uses cracked pots.

Every time someone says a hurtful word to you, every time someone is taken advantage of, every time a friend or relative hurts us in some way shape or form, it causes a crack in our person. Whether our self-esteem, feelings, confidence, or even our physical bodies, when we get hurt, mentally, emotionally, or physically, it creates a scar of some sort. These are the cracks I’m talking about.

In 2 Corinthians chapter 4, the Apostle Paul talks about stuff like that. He had been beaten, abused, locked up, persecuted all for his belief in Jesus. Before he came to know the Lord, he was called Saul, and he persecuted Christians for their belief. So he knew all about abuse. In verse 7 he says, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” The best part of this passage though comes from the next few verses:

“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9a)

Though people may say hurtful things to us, though they may try their best to destroy us physically, mentally, emotionally, we are not destroyed. For years, I thought I was utterly destroyed. I had so many cracks in my “earthen vessel” that I thought I couldn’t be of any use to anybody.

Here’s the good news though… God is the Great Physician. He’s the Healer. He’s the ONE. Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End. He is the “author and finisher.” And the night He healed me, He finished my suffering. He took me, in my “cracked pot,” my “earthen vessel,” and He began filling those cracks with His love, healing, Holy Spirit, and He is now using this cracked pot to encourage all of you.

It’s like when we use a cracked flower pot for a plant. When we water that plant, the water seeps out of the cracks and spills out all over the place. Well, in THIS cracked pot, Jesus has filled me so full that the Holy Spirit is spilling out all over the place!

I had no idea when I started writing at the age of twelve that I would someday be writing to help encourage others to use their cracked pots to let the light of Jesus shine through to help other cracked pots. So I’m a cracked pot! God is still using me, and He can sure use you, too.

What is God wanting to use your cracked pot for?

Shelley Wilburn

Shelley Wilburn has been writing since the age of twelve. She loves stories and adventures, and often finds herself getting into mischief with any one of her six grandchildren. She has written several articles and devotionals over the years for various newspapers, women's magazines, and newsletters. She has also co-authored devotionals. Shelley began writing full-time in 2012 after being healed of over 40 years of depression and anxiety. Using her love of writing, and wearing mismatched socks, Shelley has developed a unique ministry of encouraging others using biblical truths and stories from her own personal life. When not writing, you can find Shelley and her husband of over 30 years, D.A. zipping down the road in their newest adventure-maker, a bright orange, Mustang convertible Shelley has laughingly dubbed The Pony.