That which we pour into our cups is exactly what will spill out of our cups when our circumstances shake us.
Sometimes the truth of a thought weighs on you in such a way that you know the Holy Spirit is wanting you to wrestle through it.
We are shaken by circumstances on a daily basis.
We’re shaken in the midst of daily mom moments—disobedient children, unexpected messes, tantrums, or even the laundry piling up and leaving us overwhelmed.
We’re shaken in the midst of daily marriage moments—a lack of communication, conflict, misunderstandings, finding clothes on the floor—again.
Sometimes we’re shaken to our core in the midst of significant life events—a job loss, a divorce, a health crisis, or the death of someone we love.
The reality is, we are shaken people. We get bumped, rattled, pushed, and knocked down. The mere act of living has us in a constant state of sloshing about.
It’s not a question of whether our cups will spill over when shaken; it’s a question of ‘what will spill out?’ And here’s the truth—there is simply no way to spill out something different than what we’ve poured in.
Most days, my circumstances are just those of daily life—common to us all. But even in the day to day, more often than I wish to admit, I find myself creating a disaster zone from the mess of what spills from my cup in response to my circumstances.
Anger. Frustration. Harshness. Disappointment. Discontentment. Bitterness. Selfishness.
The most sobering part of this truth is that I don’t ever intentionally pour those characteristics into my cup. None of us do. Those character traits fill me easily and naturally—without any effort—because my sin nature remains.
I have to aggressively and consistently empty my giant cup of sin and intentionally pour in the things of eternal value—because it is only then that I have any hope of spilling out that which will honor God.
Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Gentleness. Faithfulness. Self-Control.
Jesus, help us to be intentional in filling our hearts with more of You, so that everything that spills out of us, regardless of our circumstances, brings You glory and honor. AMEN.
