Today’s message will be short.

Imagine you’re a guest in my house. I come out of the kitchen with some tea. There are several handmade mugs of tea on the tray and you pick one. After a few sips, you notice that there is a crack on the handle of the mug. What would you do? 

Would you try to swap your mug for another on the tray that doesn’t have a cracked handle, or would you just grip the mug you’re already sipping from with two hands instead of one, and continue to enjoy my (rather expertly brewed) tea? I’m sure many of us would just keep sipping. After all, the tea is good, and the mug can still hold its content in spite of the cracked handle, right?

Now, imagine this instead. You’re a guest in my house, and we’re in the kitchen. I’ve just made a pot of (my award-winning) tea, and I ask you to fetch a mug from the cabinet so I can pour you some. You look in the cabinet, see two handmade mugs. One of them has a cracked handle, but the other one doesn’t. Which would you pick? Of course, you’d go for the one without a crack, wouldn’t you? I know I would.

Now, the thought I would like to share with you today is this: All people are like handmade mugs, and their true essence, spirit and character is like the tea within them. 

None of us is perfect, and some of us even have cracks. Just as, in the second scenario, you could see all the cups in the cabinet, if you could see people’s flaws upfront, you would never have anything to do with the flawed ones. But when you start experiencing what is inside them before you notice their flaws, it doesn’t make as much difference, does it? You simply adjust, and continue enjoying their rich content.

Today, I want you to take a second look at the cracked ones in your life. They may be outwardly flawed, but they can still hold as much well-brewed content as the ones with no visible cracks. Just give them a chance, take a sip, and if you like what’s within them, then don’t discard them. Simply adjust your grip, and enjoy your tea.

My name is Kojo Yankson, and I have cracks, so just hold me with both hands.

GOOD MORNING, GHANAFO!