Spilling Over

We met our son for an early birthday celebration. He chose a Korean restaurant for lunch and as I ate I made sure not to get any of the spicy red sauce on my white shirt. I left the restaurant a little too proud of myself. We wandered in and out of a few shops before stopping at a coffee shop where I ordered a medium ginger peach tea. I let my hot cup sit on the bar by the window to cool down a bit while we caught up with our son. I got excited during our conversation and used my Italian hands to emphasize my point, knocking over my drink that I'd not even sipped from.

It. Spilled. Everywhere.

Can I tell you that there was way more in that cup as it came out than was actually in the cup? It was on my hair, my face, my white shirt (whimper) and my jeans. I was covered, front and back and side. It spilled onto and in my purse and on the newly upholstered stool (as in, the man redoing the stools was still carrying in the new cushions....), all over the counter and onto the floor from both sides. If I'd collected it I'm sure it would have filled two cups.

I was mortified as I made the long walk to the car for a change of clothes, knowing I was now that girl who spilled her drink, and was very thankful that we'd been out of town for a few days so I actually had a change of clothes. I wasn't injured in this, save a bruised ego.

I was thinking about it later and was reminded that it touched everything. All that was in the cup spilled out and got all over. It stained and saturated. It reminded me that what we put into our lives spills out into other areas of our lives. We can't continue to put in bad things without them leaking out. 

I recently read Brant Hansen's Blessed Are the Misfits* and he discussed the fruit we drop when we are bumped into. The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)  The same could be said about what is spilling out of us. If we are centered on the Lord and are filling ourselves with His word, His thoughts, and doing the things He asks of us then the above will be seen spilling out of us, we will overflow with these things. If we are filling ourselves with things of the world then we will show the evidence of it. Filling ourselves with the things of God needs to be a daily occurrence if we want to grow in our relationship with Him. Too many people claim to be Christians but have never gotten past the one-time prayer. It's so much more than that. It's becoming transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2) every day. Sometimes we need to leave the things that hinder us behind. Attitudes, activities, even relationships can hinder us. Be mindful of what you're doing and be willing to fill yourself with what you want spilling out of your life.

It saturates every part of you. 



*Highly recommended, look for this book in November!