As a believer in Jesus Christ I am often around people who talk about the goodness God is doing in their life. They speak about how God is blessing them abundantly and how he is doing far more in their life than they could have ever imagined a few years ago. They freely talk of the wealth they have been blessed with that they simply had to do without a year ago. Interestingly enough, they have found a place for every single penny; not one of those places being the offering tray at church.
I also hear people speak of mentors they have in their life. They talk about how certain people have walked into their life and shown them God's love, mercy, and generosity. They talk about how much they admire that person or persons; how they wouldn't have been able to get through such-and-such trial without so-and-so. They tell freely about the people who held their hand through multiple trials and were their rock--the person who encouraged and inspired them to grow closer to God and develop a closer and more intimate relationship with him. However, you don't always see those same people show the same level of love, generosity and Godly influence in others' lives. You don't always see those same people invest in others to the same degree they were invested in.
Sometimes when Christians talk of others investing in their spiritual walk, they say that they "poured into them." Well, let's say for the sake of an illustration, that the spiritual "pouring" into is milk. If you are continually being poured into, with milk, the milk will eventually go sour. You only need as much milk as can fill your cup. When your cup starts to overflow--with blessing and encouragement--that's when it is your turn to pour out onto others so that their cup may too overflow and they can continue the cycle.
Its an illustration, and a rough one at that, however, I think it makes my idea pretty clear.
To make it understood I am not under any impression this illustration does not apply to me, and to prove that I am not some self righteous Pharisee pretending I am better than the people I am speaking to, I will speak of myself instead of the hypothetical person.
I am currently in Georgia sitting inside a cute coffee shop in midtown Columbus. I have a full belly from a quesadilla that my wonderful friend made for me amidst her work. I have been able to read, write and blog all day while she works her job at the coffee house. I was able to afford a trip to come visit her because of God's provision for me and his unrelenting protection. He blessed me with a job where he blessed my hand at waitressing; making my successful and respected. In this moment, it would be easy for me to imagine that I got myself here. It would be easy to give myself all the credit for the tips I received at work. However, if anyone has ever served before, they know that actually getting a tip is sometimes a miracle. Anyone who has ever served before knows that its an act of God if all your tables get all their food right even if you entered the order in correctly. I have no reason to boast of anything.
It is an act of God that I arrived safely from Indiana to Georgia. Nothing went wrong with my flight. there was no delay. The plane didn't crash. I am still alive. Sometimes, living from one day to the next is the biggest miracle of all.
I was recently talking with one of the women in my life who have faithfully poured into me. We sat warming our hands on white glazed clay coffee mugs, sipping our black coffee with our heads bent toward each other talking in soft and rapid tones of excitement. I was sharing with her the joyful news of how God had miraculously made a way for me to be able to go on the missions trip. I started sharing with her what God had revealed to me. I told her that I often find myself falling into depression and self-pity; in those times I inevitably focus on myself. I focus on all the wrong I feel people are doing to me, how unjustly I feel I am being treated, how no one understands what I am going through, and how I am all alone even though I have a Savior who gave up his life for me and has never left my side.
I confessed that I was self-centered. I was selfish. I was miserable to be around. But then I started serving. I told her I have recently began watching a couple families' children in the mornings. I told her that by watching those kids, I have found my attention is drawn less on myself and instead pointed toward the children I am watching, loving, serving, and protecting. Children do something for selfish and self-centered people. They have such an abandon and a trust for people. They truly humble people. When a child, or children depend one-hundred percent on you to keep them safe, there is no time to wallow in self-pity. I found that by focusing solely on myself in an effort to relieve my depression, I simply made it worse. The greatest thing you can do is NOT focus on yourself--love and serve others and you will find the burden begins to lift.
When a cup of milk becomes too full, it goes sour. When we are continually being poured into, yet never pour into others in return; we go sour as well.
I encourage you today to sit and think about the blessings you have in your life--the people who have invested in you and the blessings God has bestowed on you. I want you then to think about how you can return their goodness to you by becoming that person to someone else. By giving to others what had has freely given you. We are not called as Christians to be blessed; we are called to serve and bless others. God blesses us just because he's awesome.
Over and out.
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