Somewhere deep inside of you is a bucket. Big, small, short or tall, we all have one. It captures what our hearts crave most. Whether that is attention, affection, love, appreciation, kind words, acts of kindness....whatever it is for you that gets you through the day with a smile.
However, most of the time we don't realize that the bucket has a hole in it - sometimes more than one. And they can be caused by any number of things that have happened to us over the span of our lifetimes.
Take me for example. I crave attention and appreciation. Now, I am sure that would surprise most of you who really know me....NOT! But the fact of the matter is, it is a hole in my bucket from when I was a child. I remember longing for the attention of my father. I would do EVERYTHING I thought would please him just to get him to tell me he was proud of me. Good grades in school, dancing recitals, solo dance performances, band performances, drama...catching the pattern here. I was doing anything and everything to get the attention, not just of my father, but of anyone and everyone who would notice me.
Now, as an adult (I would say grown up, but you all know me too well!), I understand that this deep need inside me can help me do some amazing things, or it can cause me to become obnoxious and overbearing - two characteristics I pray I am NEVER associated with in this life. But the same is true of any hole in any bucket. The desires and needs within your own life are merely a reflection of things that God can use for His good, or that we can pervert and turn into distasteful and distracting character flaws in our daily lives.
I am learning daily to seek the attention of my heavenly Father - the one who sees everything I do whether I want Him to or not! Now that is a scary proposition in an of itself. So today I am "performing" my life for Him. My life is no longer my own, but one in which He conducts the activities and I perform the parts and in the end, I find out that there are not really holes in my bucket, but in fact it is a watering can that He fills with His love and showers all those around me - but only if I learn to let Him do so.
And just so you know...I find myself stumbling daily to get it right. But as they say, "practice makes perfect!" So here is to practicing and remembering that life is not a dress rehearsal...it is the first act.
Will you become a watering can too?
However, most of the time we don't realize that the bucket has a hole in it - sometimes more than one. And they can be caused by any number of things that have happened to us over the span of our lifetimes.
Take me for example. I crave attention and appreciation. Now, I am sure that would surprise most of you who really know me....NOT! But the fact of the matter is, it is a hole in my bucket from when I was a child. I remember longing for the attention of my father. I would do EVERYTHING I thought would please him just to get him to tell me he was proud of me. Good grades in school, dancing recitals, solo dance performances, band performances, drama...catching the pattern here. I was doing anything and everything to get the attention, not just of my father, but of anyone and everyone who would notice me.
Now, as an adult (I would say grown up, but you all know me too well!), I understand that this deep need inside me can help me do some amazing things, or it can cause me to become obnoxious and overbearing - two characteristics I pray I am NEVER associated with in this life. But the same is true of any hole in any bucket. The desires and needs within your own life are merely a reflection of things that God can use for His good, or that we can pervert and turn into distasteful and distracting character flaws in our daily lives.
And just so you know...I find myself stumbling daily to get it right. But as they say, "practice makes perfect!" So here is to practicing and remembering that life is not a dress rehearsal...it is the first act.
Will you become a watering can too?
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