Lord, Fill Me Until You Overflow
Do you ever have one of those days (or weeks) when you realize you’ve simply run dry? The whining, the arguing, the homeschool lesson plans, the laundry, the dishes, the __________ {you can fill in the blank}…it all piles up and you feel almost paralyzed because you have nothing left to give. Dry. That would describe a recent week of my life. But as it came to an end, I took a look back over those days and thanked God for the lessons I (re)learned. I’d like to share them with you, heart-to-heart, just in case these lessons are ones that would encourage another sister.
1. I need to be with Him.
I may think I have it handled, but really, I don’t. I am quick to run empty without being filled with Him. Time with Him looks very different now with four kiddos than it did in my college days. It is discouraging at times that I can’t always have uninterrupted time with Him. That discouragement can even prevent me from spending time with Him altogether. But, I NEED Him. I just took the plunge and purchased the app for Jesus Calling. I love it because it’s short, sweet, and to the point. The first day, God spoke directly to me. If I make time for Him to fill me (and that may look different in every season of life), He will.
2. I should mother out of His overflow.
When I spend time with my Lord, He fills me to overflowing with Him. And in Him, there is fullness of joy, peace, patience, kindness…you know, that wonderful fruit of the Spirit! If I’m filled with Him, my overflow {i.e. all that fruit} goes to my kids and anyone around me. When I’m jostled, He spills out. I have a friend {in real life} whose blog is all about living out of that overflow. I go there often when I need that reminder.
3. My friends need to be held closely.
I am not one to ask for help. I guess I think that it will be a bother to someone else who already has enough on her plate. But God calls us to help one another…to carry one another’s burdens. When I deny another sister the opportunity to let God use her in my life, I may very well be denying her of God’s blessings. It’s really not about me. It’s about Him. The friends I have in my Wednesday morning Bible study have “drilled” this truth into my head lately, as they minister to me in such tangible ways.
4. Grace needs to be extended to myself and to those around me.
High expectations? I’ve got ’em. I’m awful at placing high {really, unreachable} expectations on myself. Maybe it’s because I’m that firstborn perfectionist. Maybe it’s not. But when I run dry, I am quickly reminded that I simply can’t keep it all perfect. And really, I’m not called to. Neither are you. 🙂 What a relief. There is such grace in that.
I’d love to say that these lessons have been learned for good. But on this side of Heaven, I’ll be re-learning them over and over. And that’s okay. Because it’s here in the dry times that I yearn for Him, like a deer panting for water. Lord, fill me with You!
