Several years ago,
as I sat in Children's Church,
surrounded by precious little hearts,
we talked about our world
and the all too often
missing ingredient,
kindness.
We talked about bullies
and what it feels like
to live in a world
where kindness
is hard to find.
"Why do you suppose
people are mean?" I asked.
"Why are there bullies?"
Without thinking twice,
a five year old girl blurted out,
"Maybe their bucket is empty."
"Their bucket is empty?" I inquired further.
"Yes. Maybe they are mean
because they ran out of nice.
Maybe their bucket is empty."
It made perfect sense.
We can't give away
something we don't have.
as I sat in Children's Church,
surrounded by precious little hearts,
we talked about our world
and the all too often
missing ingredient,
kindness.
We talked about bullies
and what it feels like
to live in a world
where kindness
is hard to find.
"Why do you suppose
people are mean?" I asked.
"Why are there bullies?"
Without thinking twice,
a five year old girl blurted out,
"Maybe their bucket is empty."
"Their bucket is empty?" I inquired further.
"Yes. Maybe they are mean
because they ran out of nice.
Maybe their bucket is empty."
It made perfect sense.
We can't give away
something we don't have.
And I wondered,
right there and then,
in the midst of these precious little faces,
right there and then,
in the midst of these precious little faces,
how many Christians
are trying
to make their way through life
with empty buckets?
So often,
we dart right out into life
without first sitting
at the feet of our Savior
and filling up on His goodness,
before communing first
with the Holy Spirit
and partaking of His sweetness,
before allowing the Holy Spirit
to fill us to overflowing.
All too often,
we yield
to our natural inclinations
because our spiritual buckets
are empty.
When conflicts arise,
when relationships push us
to a place of response,
when life squeezes us
until we react,
we reach into self
and the only thing we can pull out
is the fruit of self.
Instead of love, hate.
Instead of joy, despair.
Instead of peace, strife.
Instead of patience, agitation.
Instead of kindness, animosity.
Instead of goodness, corruption.
Instead of faithfulness, disregard.
Instead of gentleness, harshness.
Instead of self-control, self rules.
No wonder the world
has a hard time
seeing Christians as Christ-like.
No wonder the world
has a hard time
seeing Christ in Christians.
When our reaction
is anything but Christ-like,
very likely,
our bucket is empty.
As you look back on the
past few hours,
past few days,
past few weeks of your life,
what kind of fruit do you see?
If it isn't the fruit of the Spirit,
maybe your bucket is empty.~♥
~Stacy
are trying
to make their way through life
with empty buckets?
So often,
we dart right out into life
without first sitting
at the feet of our Savior
and filling up on His goodness,
before communing first
with the Holy Spirit
and partaking of His sweetness,
before allowing the Holy Spirit
to fill us to overflowing.
All too often,
we yield
to our natural inclinations
because our spiritual buckets
are empty.
When conflicts arise,
when relationships push us
to a place of response,
when life squeezes us
until we react,
we reach into self
and the only thing we can pull out
is the fruit of self.
Instead of love, hate.
Instead of joy, despair.
Instead of peace, strife.
Instead of patience, agitation.
Instead of kindness, animosity.
Instead of goodness, corruption.
Instead of faithfulness, disregard.
Instead of gentleness, harshness.
Instead of self-control, self rules.
No wonder the world
has a hard time
seeing Christians as Christ-like.
No wonder the world
has a hard time
seeing Christ in Christians.
When our reaction
is anything but Christ-like,
very likely,
our bucket is empty.
As you look back on the
past few hours,
past few days,
past few weeks of your life,
what kind of fruit do you see?
If it isn't the fruit of the Spirit,
maybe your bucket is empty.~♥
~Stacy
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