Getting Ready for Overflow

A few years ago, I developed an interest in plants and gardens. Not enough to have a fully formed green thumb, but enough to do some research and some tinkering. I started to research soil health and plant food. How much sun exposure and how much water was too much. I also looked up proper ways to re-pot and the benefits of pots versus in the ground. My exploration helped me learn a lot, including the importance of soil when it comes to planting. The health of my soil will impact what I plant and what it produces. The research also helped me learn how detrimental weeds can be to the health of my overall garden. The nurturing process matters. All of that began to highlight for me why it is so important to be mindful of the health of our spiritual gardens. If God’s spirit has been planted in me and my spirit is growing and maturing in him, then I’ll see the results of that, right? Whereas if I lack the spirit, then the odds are pretty slim that I will consistently produce spiritual fruit. That’s because my “soil” has been tainted. It matters what I’m feeding my spirit.

As I thought deeply about this, I began to think about the word of God and the assurance we have that if we would only try and trust him, he’ll pour us out blessings we don’t have room to receive. I meditated on that for some time because I began to realize that my cup will never reach the point of overflow if it’s never filled. For some people, the issue is in the filling because there are too many other things in our cups. There is no shortage of issues to complain about these days. Those issues begin to monopolize our thoughts, however. I know because I’ve been there! Moments where even the encouragement felt like discouragement. Those thoughts truly become a heavy load. Suddenly, quality time you previously spent in prayer or studying the scriptures becomes difficult to accomplish. This is exactly why we need a full spiritual cup. 

 There needs to be room to receive a full cup in order to experience the overflow that I don’t have room to receive.

One simple way to achieve that is to pray without ceasing. We should never break the line of communication with God especially in difficult times. When we are going through a struggle, sometimes it’s hard to talk to the people we see. Yet, this is exactly how the adversary tries to discourage us from seeking God. If our spirit becomes malnourished, then we are weakened in spiritual warfare and more prone to giving up a battle where victory is guaranteed for us.

If we don’t take days off when it comes to nurturing our physical bodies, why should our spirit be any different? Even if we aren’t feeling our best, we know that our natural self needs food and sleep so we seek out just enough to keep us going. Our spiritual self needs sustenance as well. If I truly want a cup that is not only full of what God supplies, but is overflowing, then I need to trust him to purge me of the things that don’t belong. There needs to be room to receive a full cup in order to experience the overflow that I don’t have room to receive. The things we hold on to that we shouldn’t begin to take up space. We have a tendency to do that with our homes and we don’t realize the magnitude of the clutter until it’s time to downsize or move it all. Back to gardening, pruning isn’t always a pleasant job. But it’s a necessary one if we want a healthy garden. I can’t satisfy my spirit with the natural things of the world. It will not be filling.

Stay Sunny!

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