A pastor friend of mine had come through a really rough stretch and was reexamining his call. A counselor shared a powerful image with him. She asked if he had ever flown on a commercial plane. He had. She went on to remind him of the spiel the fly attendants go through about the airplane. The point of her story was the part of the spiel where the oxygen mask falls from the ceiling.
Do you remember what they tell the passengers? It goes like this: Secure your own mask before helping others.
Truth be told: we’re not much good to others if we don’t take care of ourselves.
Recently I saw meme floating around on Facebook. I made one like it for myself using one of the mugs I typically use in my office:
This is such a simple message, but we do a great job of ‘boogering’ it up.
We wonder why we have nothing to write about. We blame the absence of our muse. Grouse about writer’s block. When the truth is we’ve done little to fill our spiritual, emotional, and physical cup.
God’s promise is that our cup will be overflowing. You’ll find that in Psalm 23:5.
So what can we do to make sure our cup is full?
~Spend regular time mining in the Word.
Living on 30 second devotions is like trying to exist on fast food. Definitely not in our best interest long term.
~Spend time getting to know the One whose message you hope to convey.
Get beyond the introduction and figure out what He’s all about.
~Associate with others whose cups are overflowing and then find those whose cups are empty and bring them along.
And that’s just a few for starters. Make your own list…and do it!
I searched and read several articles and scrolled through a Google feed about how long a person can live without water. The consensus was there’s no way to generalize or quantify given the vast differences in our physical make up, but most “experts” agree a person will only last few days.
Why would we choose to test the evidence? Why would we choose to pour from an empty cup?
We are not much good to others, and neither is our writing, if we’re not taking care of ourselves.
Take time. Make time. Fill up!
We love helping your growing in your writing career.
1 Comment
Tina, Thanks for sharing. I needed to read this. I love to be used by God. I must spend time in His word and fellowship to have the strength. Lately, I have been cranky. I have volunteered for a movie, my book edits are due and 2 articles are due. I love everything God has for me but I am tired. My realization, the more I pour out the more I must have poured back into me. My glass is 1/2 full and I am trying to use it like it is full. God convicted me. I am so thankful for His grace and mercy.