There have been times in my life where I can honestly say I felt just like an ice dispenser. You know, the kind at the hotel down the hall, near the elevators. They leave you a small bucket in your room, and you can traipse down the hall, put your bucket under the opening, and push a button. A motor begins to turn and out comes ice into your bucket that you can take back to your room and use.
I am not even sure that hotels have that anymore, but there have been seasons in my life where that has definitely been the best way to describe how I was feeling. I have felt like an ice dispenser that someone is always coming by and wanting to push my buttons to get something out of me, to take from me for their own use, leaving me pretty empty.
Ever felt like there is a constant proverbial “bucket” placed under you?
Ever felt like you give and give until there is nothing left?
In Luke 6: 20-49, Jesus is speaking to His newly chosen disciples about His Kingdom….an upside down Kingdom from what many of them had heard. Within this Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke these words in Luke 6:45: “The good man brings good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored in his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”
I have read this Scripture often, and said to myself, “I have no overflow!!! I have nothing to give! I feel like I am in a constant UNDERFLOW! I am empty and I am tired.”
I could also honestly say that when I found myself like this, my mouth ends up getting me into trouble because I spout things that are coming from a tired, stressed, and frustrated place. Where is that place? The Bible says, it is in the heart.
Sisters, how is your heart today? Can you bring that to the Lord and ask Him to replace the yuck that is in there, or the emptiness that is in there, with Himself, right now? Can you ask Him to fill you with His love, His truth, and His Spirit?
Sisters, what are you storing up in your heart? To store something up reminds me of a silo where farmers keep grain until needed.
We are responsible for what we are storing in our hearts. And we are responsible to steward what is in there, well.
Can you today get rid of the hurt, unforgiveness, pain, and shame from your silo? Can you clean out the storage by surrendering it all to the Lord? Can you say this, “I give this ______ to You, Jesus.” This will make room for more of Jesus to fill your heart.
And then, can you invite Holy Spirit to fill you with Himself, His love, His light and His truth? That way, your mouth will
overflow love, kindness, gratitude, and encouragement.
It is God’s desire for us to operate from an overflow of good, not an underflow of yuck. Talk with the Lord about ways you can be filled to overflow when people come with their bucket, needing some filling from you. What does that look like?
You are loved,
Jena
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Thank you jena! Such a timely and true word! Especially women are sacrificing and giving of themselves to their detriment at times. I have found myself pouring until I’m dry and at my fault failing to take time to have God replenish my vessel to keep pouring. Also failing to keep healthy boundaries in relationships that are very using. keeping God first you will never go wrong and he is always quick to remind me when my priorities of giving shift in overserving and forgetting to let him pour into me adequately so that I can pour out on who I need to!
There has been season in my life I have felt like a ice dispenser! As a Daughter, Sister,Aunt,Wife, Mother and a Friend. I would get so caught up in trying to do things on my own that in the moment I would lose sight of what I needed to be focused on which is GOD. I felt like I needed to fix everything and everyone because everyone calls me when things go sideways that I would overlook myself. I have gone through a season where it just felt like no matter what I did, it just wasn’t enough. I was tired, irritated and just wanted a moment to breathe. I forgot that I have to wait on the Lord…
Oh Jena, how I needed this. I have been feeling this way here lately, I feel like I give, give, give and people take, take,take and I feel like I have ran out of water to even make the ice. I needed the reminder to go to our wonderful Father God to be replenished instead of waiting for the takers to replenish me. You are an amazing vessel for Jesus and I want to tell you thank you so much for all that you do to be the hands and feet of Jesus. You are greatly appreciated!!