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Sunday, February 15, 2009

Serendipity Sunday: A Rusty Bucket or a Perfect Pot.....

Serendipity: Making a delightful or unexpected discovery

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the same comfort we ourselves have received from God."

~2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV~

This week I discovered the following story and it really touched my heart and made me think. It stayed with me all week and affirmed what I believe to be true, our hardships are not wasted, each experience we have is not without purpose. Sometimes we cannot see the purpose, especially when we are in the midst of a trial but there is one. So often in my life I have gone through something and to later be able to support another who is going through the same thing. I find that because I have been there that I can offer comfort, support, advice, compassion, a shoulder to cry on, and an arm to lean on. I hope this story helps you to find the beauty in brokenness.

A young man was in a car accident and he was laying in a hospital in critical condition with internal injuries and serious burns. His grandfather, a minister, stood at the podium weeping, asking his congregation to pray for the young man. This was a very low time in the grandfathers life, a time when he questioned God's reason for things. He realized that we all have times like that, times when we stumble in our faith. This was a time when he felt he was really and truly alone.

He stood looking over the young mans bed thinking that here was the boy who had played linebacker on the football team, who made good grades, and earned a scholarship to college. Who never disappointed his parents a day in his life, a wonderful son and grandson ~ everything they ever hoped for. The doctors were telling his family that he would not be perfect anymore. If he recovered, he was going to have scars on his arms and legs from the burns. And the minister asked God why. Why would you take this young, good~looking beautiful boy and leave him the rest of his life with scars?

God did not answer his question right away, He left the minister to think and ponder and pray. One day the minister went out in the back lot behind the church, back near a hill of dirt where the kids liked to play sometimes, to mow the grass which had sprung up after a recent rain. He saw all of these old buckets, pots, and pans the kids left behind sitting around near the dirt pile. As he looked around he noticed something. The perfect containers caught the rainwater and held it until it became stagnant and black. All the grass around them was dead. The containers that were dented or cracked or had holes in them had probably caught rainwater as well, but they had poured the water out through the holes. There was no stagnant water in them, and all the grass around them was growing.

He realized that it is the same with people. It's those little nicks and dents and imperfections of spirit that allow us to flow out into a thirsty world. It's our scars that allow us to relate to the scars of others, our suffering connects us to others who suffer. He still did not know why God put scars on his beautiful grandson. He was deeply thankful that by this time, two and one half years later, his grandson had made a recovery and was entering medical school. One thing he did know was that when his grandson became a doctor, when he reached out to those who are wounded and hurting, they were going to realize that he had been where they are. The young man would understand his patients in a way that many doctors never would, and just by the virtue of those scars on his arms, he would show them that life does indeed go on. He would be able to flow out into other people in a way that would be impossible if God had left his life perfect.

The lesson in this story is to consider for yourselves which life you would rather have, which vessel you'd rather be. A perfect pot? Or imperfect rusty bucket? Ready to hold in everything that comes your way, or ready to pour out and be refilled with each new rain? Closed to the world...or open to the possibilities...

Blessings,
Miss Sandy

This story is my paraphrased version from the inspirational novel, "The Language of the Sycamores" by Lisa Wingate

19 comments:

Candy said...

What a story with heart strings...I need to be pulled on every now and then. Bless you for sharing.
Candy

Vee said...

This one will be shared with a few folks... What a wonderful object lesson. (I keep broken shards and cracked pots about my home to remind me that I am indeed one of them, but I never knew why until today.)

Thank you...have a blessed Sunday. (It's my dad's 79th birthday today and he's called up a celebration...unheard of...and it makes me nervous for some reason.)

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing this story Sandy. I have had the support of my five life-long girlfriends through mama's sickness and death. I now realize that each of them will live through the heartache of saying goodbye to their moms and I pray that I will be of comfort to them.
In listening to Somewhere in Time on your blog this a.m. - did you see my blog from earlier yesterday entitled the same? Funny story!

Auntie sezzzzzz... said...

There is a lovely message here...

Aunt Amelia
"I stood and watched the evening star
As long as it watched me."
~ Sara Teasdale

Auntie sezzzzzz... said...

And I also want to say that I love the word Serendipity. :-) It's meaning is sweet, and it's sound is, also.

Aunt Amelia
"I stood and watched the evening star
As long as it watched me."
~ Sara Teasdale

Miss Rhea said...

Beautiful Post my friend !!! Gosh, I have lots of holes and rusty spots and a few dings as well, hee hee !! :) And am thankful for every one :) That reminds me of a story about two gentlemen that were watching a young Opera singer. The first man said, "Gosh, she has a beautiful voice." The second man said, "Oh, but wait till her heart has been broken, THEN she will have a truly beautiful voice" Isn't that the truth ! I have missed you and your lovely posts, I hope all is well with you. I think and pray for you often :) Happy Sunday !!! :)

Anonymous said...

Beautiful imagery of beauty for ashes.

Ragamuffin Gal said...

Miss Sandy ~
Your beautiful post rocked my world today! I love it! It is just what I needed to read today. Blessings to you friend,
Katie

Gwendolyn said...

So true,yet too often we aren't willing to go through the molding and scarring that will take us to that place of identiying with Christ in His suffering and become usable vessels in His hands. Thank you for this stirring story.

Lady Farmer said...

I echo all the comments above! Terrific post. Thanks for sharing it with us today.

Pinkie Denise said...

Hello Miss Sandy,
What a beautiful post, I needed to hear this today, I am going through some trying and testing of my own...Thank you for this post, love and kind words Pinkie

Anonymous said...

Hi - thanks for dropping by my blog. Have just spent some pleasurable time looking through this and your tutorial blog. Me - I'm an imperfect rusty bucket ....

{oc cottage} said...

So lovely!

M ^..^

A Bit of Colour said...

My first time in stopping by. I loved your story, or maybe parable that you wrote. I love the imperfect bucket & am so greatful for GOD's grace & mercy that are new everyday. I cruised your past tutorials, I really enjoyed them.
Thanks for commenting on my post.

Blessings,
Kim

Judy Morphis said...

Thank you for sharing this beautiful message. I truly feel it was a gift from God. The past few years have been difficult, loss of a baby sister,loss of my mother and facing cancer. I have to admit there were times when I wondered what the "purpose" was. Thank you again.

Marie De Marco said...

i sit here reading your wonderful blog crying,knowing how God leaves imperfections in all of us. his grace is amazing let the water flow out of my bucket.
marie

Catherine Holman said...

What a great story. This could be applied to so many areas of our lives, such as our homes. So many women want the perfect house with everthing in it's place. But, I think a home that's lived in and full of family (love) and well used is more inviting and beautiful. Thanks for sharing this story and helping to put things in perspective.
Hugs,
Cathie

Vickie said...

Miss Sandy - Isn't that a wonderful story! I had the great pleasure to meet Lisa Wingate in Clifton, TX, when her husband (who is also an artist) attended a workshop along with me and bunch of other artists. She is a sweet young woman, mother, and devoted wife. She writes from her own experiences about the people she knows and lives that she has known. I've read all her books except the newest one. I aim to go get it as soon as possible. I'm glad her books are reaching out all over the country. She's a lovely person who loves God. I'm so glad to be able to read a book with GOOD things in it, and not all the trash that is on the market today! THanks for sharing this story -

vikki said...

oh,how i loved.love.love. this! so imperfect are we, but how we want to look perfect & have things look perfect. so blessed to have God show that the imperfect path is ok, not sloppy or lazy, just not perfect, coz we are not perfect. a great, great story. sucha lesson. love the rusty bucket ~ i would soo have a rusty bucket than something shiney & new. blessings will pour from the holes & dings ~ love it. hugs & blessings, vikki ♥

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