There is a story of an elderly couple who lived in the mountains near a flowing stream.
Early each morning, the husband would watch his wife gather herself to begin the walk down a long path to retrieve water for the day. The last thing she would take up before heading out was a large old water pot with a spiderweb of cracks on one side.
His wife would leave each morning; walk down to the brook; fill up the water pot; and head back home. The problem was, when she would reach the house, half of the water would leak out of the cracks in the worn old pot during her return.
Day after day, month after month, he watched his wife complete this same routine. She would leave with the cracked and empty water pot, fill it at the small waterway, and then return with the pot half full.
One morning as she was preparing to leave, he stopped her and asked why she kept using the broken old water pot. “We have money," he said. We can replace it with one that doesn’t leak.” His wife just smiled, lifted the pot, and took his hand. Together they walked the path leading to the small creek.
The man was speechless.
All along the pathway were beautiful flowers of various colors reaching toward the sky. When they reached the stream, there were even more flowers in every direction. He watched in awe as his wife waded into the water and filled the pot. Just as he imagined, when she lifted it, liquid trickled down from the cracks.
She made her way back to where he was standing and looked into his eyes. She gently kissed him, took his hand again and began leading back to the house. As they walked, water seeped from the cracks in the broken pot onto the flowers they passed, nourishing them. As always, by the time they reached the house, the pot was only half full, but what it lost during the journey had given life to so much more along the way.
Your life can affect the world like this woman. All the splintered and broken places inside of you can be a source of life and nourishment for someone else if you will allow them to be. As an overcomer, you can shine a light for others to follow as you lead them out of the dark places that you have escaped. But, this is a choice that only you can make.
Like the husband in this story, your focus may be on what you have lost during your walk considering it to be a waste. You may view your struggles as mistakes or failures that limit your future. This perspective of your life could be because of your own heart or the opinions of others. But perspective is not always reality.
Your struggles have given you the rare “gift” of insight into certain areas of pain that others still endure. This makes you a unique ambassador for change, hope, and help to others. Your life experiences are priceless, (whether they are good or bad), and they all worked together to shape the incredible individual you have become.
Giving of yourself does not mean that you completely empty yourself to help others. Like the woman at the stream, when she arrived home there was enough water left behind to take care of her family. Practicing self-care and establishing boundaries will allow you to heal, which will ensure that you remain full and can continue to give others what they need to grow and flourish.
It might sound cliché, but you must decide to see life as either half full or half empty. Life will always bring challenges and pain. Do your best to turn the negatives into positives. When you live this way, you will move closer to a place of peace and contentment. You will become thankful for your struggles and your eyes will be open to how beautiful your life is as you water the world around you.
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