Tag: Pouring into others

Weary from Pouring into Others

Lisa Preuett

I’ve been running on fumes lately and the gas tank of my soul is almost on empty.

The things I’m running after are all good. 

Encouraging others in their faith.

Walking alongside friends in difficult circumstances. 

Helping to lead a group of single moms.

Showing hospitality to others in our home.

Preparing to launch and market my first book. 

But in the midst of all the kingdom work, I can feel myself wearing down a bit. In a constant flow of pouring into others, I’ve forgotten to slow down enough to be refilled. Not being intentional enough with my time to sit before the Lord and let Him refresh me.

Imagine a huge pitcher of water. It’s surrounded by multiple small glasses. At first you can freely pour the water into the other glasses.

A little bit here. A little bit there. Pour some here. Pour some there.

But what seems an endless supply will soon run out. The large pitcher will run dry at some point.

 

An empty pitcher can’t fill anything up. An empty pitcher serves no purpose. It must be refilled before it can pour back out. We can set this pitcher under the faucet and turn it on. Water from an endless supply is available at any time.

This is a picture of what I must do to stay filled up! I need to sit still under the faucet of God’s never-ending love, full of peace and strength that will never run out. An endless supply of grace–available at any time.

Maybe instead of waiting until the pitcher of my heart is empty, I should go back to the faucet every day and stay filled up. I’m so guilty of waiting until every last drop of strength and grace are squeezed out of my parched, weary soul.

You know how some servers at restaurants are great about keeping your drink refilled? Instead of waiting until your glass is empty, they keep filling it up every time they walk by. Might even seem annoying at some point! But their eye is on the glass. Their goal is to keep it filled to the brim.

Perhaps I should aim to be like that server in guarding the condition of my soul. 

Always aware. Making sure I’m filled up. Intentionally watching.

But even if I push too hard and find myself on empty, God is still ever so gracious and patient with me. He calls me to simply come with my parched soul and sit at His feet.

He beckons me to soak up His presence. Overflow me with His peace. Fills me up to the brim. And then He whispers to me and says, “You’re filled up now. Go and pour into others who are still on empty. Pour into those who need to be refreshed. Let me flow through you to show my love.”

What about you? Are you running on fumes from pouring into others? Do you feel parched because your soul needs a refill from the Living Water?

Let’s challenge one another to stay filled. Encourage each other to keep a watch on our souls.

God longs to fill the pitcher of our souls with His never-ending supply of power.

It’s a must if we’re going to keep doing the kingdom work He’s called us to.

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1)

 

Blessings to you!

Lisa Preuett

 

 

Overflowing to the Brim

Lisa Preuett

When I first got my Keurig coffee machine, I had to play around with it before I figured out which size cup to use for each setting. One of the first times I used it, I didn’t have a large enough cup for the amount of coffee trickling out. When the coffee oozed out and spilled over the brim of my cup, I quickly grabbed an empty cup to pour the overflow of coffee into it.

As I was cleaning up the spilled coffee, I learned two things: Number one of course was to use an appropriate sized cup for the large cup setting!

Lesson number two was much more profound as I was reminded of a scripture in Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the holy spirit.”

After watching my first cup of coffee overflow, it hit me that the only way to overflow with the power of the holy spirit is to BE STILL. If I’d moved the cup before it spilled over, it wouldn’t overflow. And just like that cup, WE need to sit still long enough to hear God speaking truth and hope into our weary hearts.

So what exactly is overflowing out of our hearts? It’s hope! The hope of what Jesus has done for us. The hope of eternity. The hope of the resurrection power living in us every day!

And when we get filled up so much with that hope, it is going to spill over. Hopefully we aren’t just standing still when this happens. Hopefully we will spill out into those around us.

Those around us who are hurting.
Those around us who are empty.
Those around us who need the hope of Jesus.

Kristin Sauder, a dear friend of mine who recently went to Heaven, once said to us, “Full things are waiting to be emptied. And empty things are waiting to be filled!”

So where are you right now in this season of life? Is the brim of your heart almost full? If so, who are you pouring into? Who around you needs to be filled with hope?

Or maybe you feel empty. If that is the case, I encourage you to take time to sit still before God and allow Him to fill you up. Allow Him to show you the hope you are looking for in your current challenge. And then you need to surround yourself with other believers who are FULL! Because if they are FULL, then you are going to get some of that hope overflowing. And it will spill right into the empty places in your heart.

So the next time you grab a cup of coffee, let it be a reminder to you that God longs to fill our hearts to overflowing. And He wants us to spill over into the people He’s placed around us.

Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the holy spirit.”