Fill Me Up

I have a theory. I think our hearts have a heart-shaped feature to them that is meant to be filled up. Some people's cups are over-flowing while others are empty. Some cups are bigger than others, some younger, some older. The purpose of a cup is to have something poured into it while we enjoy it and savor it. How full is YOUR cup ?

This past Saturday I volunteered at Ruby's Pantry - a local food pantry. I LOVE serving there. It always "fills my cup" right to the brim.

It was 18 degrees out that morning. Kind of chilly I guess but I had dressed for it. I probably looked like that kid from A Christmas Story, all swollen up and hardly able to bend my arms. Then I saw a friend of mine and asked her how she was doing.

"I lost both of my parents last month. My mom on November 1st and my father on November 30th."

Turns out my arms could bend after all. As I gave her a hug and told her I was SO sorry, I was actually pouring love from my heart-shaped cup into hers. How awful to lose both parents, one right after the other. I prayed for her right there in the snow.

I think the love we have stored up for ourselves tastes the best when we serve it to someone else in need. The cool thing about giving our love to someone else is, God in turn fills OUR hearts back up for us again.

My wife and I have one, lone Christmas card remaining on our countertop. I has a name on it but no address. I had been sending Facebook messages and texts to this person for weeks but no reply.

Last night I saw this person on Facebook so I sent them a quick message. They responded! I got the address and I got something else too. Filled up!

It turns out that this person's heart-shaped cup was bone dry. After a brief conversation both of our cups were full again.

Love is an amazing thing. We only get love when we freely give of it ourselves. However, there IS a danger. If we give of ourselves without any way to obtain a refill, there is a danger that our cups might become chipped or cracked. That's where God comes in.

³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” - John 13:34-35

That same day my wife and I were at a restaurant with our daughter, her husband and our grand daughter. The waitress came by and asked a question we should be asking everyone we meet.

"Would you like a re-fill?"

Pour into someone's life today and you will be filled with the love that never runs out.

Love Never Fails - Brandon Heath