No Crying Over Shared Milk!!
Lunchtime is interesting at my house. I have a 1 and 3 year old-both boys. Lunchtime itself is really a relative term...they seem to eat hourly but the "feeding" that falls closest to noon I have dubbed LUNCH! There's usually some spilling, some yelling, and eventually a short moment of silence as they consume what has been placed before them (or what they have thrown to the floor) at a rate which would cause a bystander to question if they have been fed at all the past week. Yep, that's lunchtime!
But oh how fun when God teaches us through our children! M had a cup with milk that he was happily chugging while his little brother looked on, longing for a swig of milk himself. I said, "Give your brother a drink. He's thirsty and can't find his cup..." And the protests of M began. Full on fit of " He's Gonna Drink All My Milk!" I tried to repeatedly reassure him that we have more milk and I will refill his cup with as much as he wants in just a moment...but to PLEASE just let his brother have a drink!
He would have none of it. I told him that I would not be sharing the sandwich I made for him with him until he was able to share with his brother. He reluctantly handed it over and the screaming of "He's gonna drink all my miiiiiiiilllkkkk!" began. Ironically, there was only a sip left...M had effectively chugged the majority of his milk cup.
And then: there it was. The truth nugget...dropped soft, but firm, straight into my heart by an intimate God who knows us deeply and LOVES showing up in our daily lives. I had to get honest and ask myself, how many times have I screamed at God when He asked me to pour something into someone else? OUCH. "But God! They are gonna drink all my time! They are going to drink all my finances! They are going to drink all my joy! They are going to drink all my freedom! They are going to drink all my patience!" And on and on. You fill in the blank. Here's what the Bible says: In Proverbs 11:25 God tells us exactly how this goes down-
"Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered." Amen.
So while we panic and have a tantrum because we don't want to pass our cup to another for fear of them "drinking it all", God's Word clearly says that when we meet the needs of another, He will see to it our needs are met. That we are replenished.
You see, it all starts and ends with Him...He has all the resources, just like I had the gallon of milk. Neither one of my boys had an ounce of control over the milk that belonged to me. I could have withheld it all, given them none, promised no more, not even let them know it was there...But I DID choose to give it to M. simply because I love him and enjoy blessing him. I entrusted it to M. and asked him to give his brother a drink, but it never really belonged to him in the first place. Thanks for the piece of humble pie, Lord! But seriously...we are so prone to pride. It's SO good for us to be humbled.
I had to wonder if they had TRULY understood the above truth, if they would have responded differently when prompted to share and be generous. Do we understand this verse? Do we understand God's truth and what He promises? Do we bask in it? I think if we did, we would be greatly strengthened to respond to God with a joyful spirit as He asks us to pour ourselves out. Because if we don't pour out what we have, we stifle the opportunity to poured into again. I want to be pouring myself out as God instructs to others SO MUCH that there's a constant stream of God pouring into me! Always moving; always flowing.
So what does this maybe look like? When you haven't had 5 minutes alone for a week and your child wants some of your time-give it. When the church needs help funding a project but you were saving for a new something else-give it. When you see someone in need while working hard to meet your own needs, work to meet it anyway. Be generous. God makes sure that as you pour into others, you are poured into. It's a beautifully dichotomy. We busy ourselves serving others-our family, our friends, our church, our neighbors, our ministry...and God sees to it we are being filled. He is faithful to His Word.
Are you thirsty? Don't worry..you can let your brother have a drink. God has a whole gallon on the counter, just waiting to pour more into your cup.
But oh how fun when God teaches us through our children! M had a cup with milk that he was happily chugging while his little brother looked on, longing for a swig of milk himself. I said, "Give your brother a drink. He's thirsty and can't find his cup..." And the protests of M began. Full on fit of " He's Gonna Drink All My Milk!" I tried to repeatedly reassure him that we have more milk and I will refill his cup with as much as he wants in just a moment...but to PLEASE just let his brother have a drink!
He would have none of it. I told him that I would not be sharing the sandwich I made for him with him until he was able to share with his brother. He reluctantly handed it over and the screaming of "He's gonna drink all my miiiiiiiilllkkkk!" began. Ironically, there was only a sip left...M had effectively chugged the majority of his milk cup.
And then: there it was. The truth nugget...dropped soft, but firm, straight into my heart by an intimate God who knows us deeply and LOVES showing up in our daily lives. I had to get honest and ask myself, how many times have I screamed at God when He asked me to pour something into someone else? OUCH. "But God! They are gonna drink all my time! They are going to drink all my finances! They are going to drink all my joy! They are going to drink all my freedom! They are going to drink all my patience!" And on and on. You fill in the blank. Here's what the Bible says: In Proverbs 11:25 God tells us exactly how this goes down-
"Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered." Amen.
So while we panic and have a tantrum because we don't want to pass our cup to another for fear of them "drinking it all", God's Word clearly says that when we meet the needs of another, He will see to it our needs are met. That we are replenished.
You see, it all starts and ends with Him...He has all the resources, just like I had the gallon of milk. Neither one of my boys had an ounce of control over the milk that belonged to me. I could have withheld it all, given them none, promised no more, not even let them know it was there...But I DID choose to give it to M. simply because I love him and enjoy blessing him. I entrusted it to M. and asked him to give his brother a drink, but it never really belonged to him in the first place. Thanks for the piece of humble pie, Lord! But seriously...we are so prone to pride. It's SO good for us to be humbled.
I had to wonder if they had TRULY understood the above truth, if they would have responded differently when prompted to share and be generous. Do we understand this verse? Do we understand God's truth and what He promises? Do we bask in it? I think if we did, we would be greatly strengthened to respond to God with a joyful spirit as He asks us to pour ourselves out. Because if we don't pour out what we have, we stifle the opportunity to poured into again. I want to be pouring myself out as God instructs to others SO MUCH that there's a constant stream of God pouring into me! Always moving; always flowing.
So what does this maybe look like? When you haven't had 5 minutes alone for a week and your child wants some of your time-give it. When the church needs help funding a project but you were saving for a new something else-give it. When you see someone in need while working hard to meet your own needs, work to meet it anyway. Be generous. God makes sure that as you pour into others, you are poured into. It's a beautifully dichotomy. We busy ourselves serving others-our family, our friends, our church, our neighbors, our ministry...and God sees to it we are being filled. He is faithful to His Word.
Comments
Post a Comment