God can shine through cracks in our lives

For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.
—2 Corinthians 4:6-7(NRSV)
In the passage above, the Apostle Paul praises God for the light that we humans have received—not only at creation but also in the face of Jesus. Paul claims that treasure of light as a clear sign of God’s great power, not our own. In fact, he compares us humans to clay jars.
In South Texas we know about clay jars, better expressed down here as clay pots. When I try to move one of the clay pots on my patio, I have to be extremely careful. If the pot falls from my hands, it can break upon hitting the tile floor of the patio. Also, if I never move the pots and they just sit there on my patio, they will still eventually crack from old age.
So is Paul saying that we humans are fragile like cracked pots? I think so. He knew well the limited nature, the brokenness, the “cracked” reality of human life. But, interestingly, I might suppose that he would see our human limitations, our imperfections, as a barrier to God’s great power. Yet in this passage Paul proclaims that our fragility, our brokenness, actually confirms (makes clear) that whatever we do or become results from God’s great power, not our own. In short, God can shine through the cracks in our lives.
A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole that he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water 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 bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water.
After two years of what the cracked pot perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.
“I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you,” the pot said.
“Why?” asked the bearer. “What are you ashamed of?”
“I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to the house,” the pot said. “Because of my flaws, you don’t get full value from your efforts.”
The water bearer felt compassion for the old cracked pot and said, “As we return to the house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.”
Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and that cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.
The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them.”
We’re all “cracked pots.” But we can admit that reality and allow God to shine through the cracks in our lives so that divine light can illuminate and empower others. Then they will know the treasure of the knowledge and power of God.