A Mom’s Cry to God, “O Fill My Cup, Let it Overflow”

As a mom, there are many days when I feel like I’m running on empty. It’s a strange conundrum. Moms are always giving, giving, giving – to their children, their husbands, and everyone around them, but who is on the other side, pouring into YOU?

Back in the days when I was a teen going to church camp, we would often sing the song, “O Fill My Cup”

“O fill my cup, let it overflow,

O fill my cup, let it overflow,

O fill my cup, let it overflow,

Let it overflow with love.”

Perhaps you know it? I loved the song back in the day and lately the words have been stirring again in my heart.  Then, awhile back on Facebook, I came across a little story.  I have no idea who the author is, but it resonated deeply within me so I wanted to share it today with you:

O Fill My Cup

You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you or shakes your arm, making you spill your coffee everywhere.

Why did you spill the coffee?

“Because someone bumped into me!!!”

Wrong answer.

You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup.

Had there been tea in the cup, you would have spilled tea.

*Whatever is inside the cup is what will spill out.*

Therefore, when life comes along and shakes you (which WILL happen), whatever is inside you will come out. It’s easy to fake it, until you get rattled.

*So we have to ask ourselves… “what’s in my cup?”*

When life gets tough, what spills over?

Joy, gratefulness, peace and humility?

Anger, bitterness, harsh words and reactions?

Life provides the cup, YOU choose how to fill it.

Today let’s work towards filling our cups with gratitude, forgiveness, joy, words of affirmation; and kindness, gentleness and love for others.

I love this story!  But there’s one line that worries me, “Life provides the cup, YOU choose how to fill it.” 

Well, yes and no. 

For too many years, I think the problem was I was trying to fill my own cup, and that’s not biblical at all.  By ourselves, we can’t possibly keep our cups full.

Here’s how it worked for a long time:  In general, I’m a pretty nice, helpful, and kind person.  I worked on filling up my cup with what God required of me…most of the time.  But I gave myself a pass when I was tired, or upset, or hurt.  See, when I’m rattled – I don’t always like what comes out: impatience, defensiveness, snapping, or thoughtless words. 

Never Let ‘Em See You Sweat

I thought the solution was to not let myself be rattled, when all along that was the wrong solution.  “Never let them see you sweat!” I heard.  “Fake it till you make it!”  “Don’t let anyone get you down.”  Common worldly wisdom that is empty and full of false promises.

As the story says, life will come along, and it will shake you.  We can’t avoid getting rattled – it’s part of life.  Life is full of bumps and bruises.  Bad things happen to good people.  Good people do hurtful things.  Loving people say ugly words.  Evil people hurt the innocent.  Good people make grave mistakes. There is injustice, unkindness, shocking events, sudden dangers, and moments in life that rip out your heart.

READ: Raising Fearless Kids in a Scary World

Peace

Too many of us spend time trying to steady the cup crying, “Stop! Please, just stop!  Just one moment of peace!”  But it’s the wrong kind of peace and so it never lasts for long.  There are lulls in the pain and days when we hold the cup steady.  We trick ourselves into thinking all is finally going along as it should.  We congratulate ourselves that we are doing something right.  Until, inevitably, something else happens to bump the cup.

Then we try to steady the cup again when our goal should really be to ask God to fill the cup – even while it is being shaken.  After all, he designed it to overflow, not to hold steady or keep all the liquid inside.  So often we try to fill our cups by ourselves and then hold it still.  Now I’ve learned it is GOD who fills the cup and GOD who allows it to shake so it will overflow into the lives of my husband, my children, my friends, my brethren, and even strangers.  It’s supposed to be that way.

Amazing Grace

So, I’m changing my focus, what about you?  The 2^nd line of the “O Fill My Cup” song goes,

“Amazing grace how sweet the sound,

that saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now I’m found,

was blind but now I see.”

As a teen, I used to ponder the connection between verse 1 and verse 2.  But now I see it.  It’s God’s amazing grace that continues to fill us up even when we are hurting, or broken, or exhausted. Remember Psalm 23? “YOU anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows”. It’s God who does the filling and THEN goodness and mercy follow.

God fills our cup when we are shaking and rattled, too.  Sometimes, he reaches out with his own hand to steady our saucer.  But he is always there, filling, pouring his Holy Spirit into us and asking us to pour ourselves out into the lives of others.

So, What’s in Your Cup? 

Coffee or tea or hot chocolate?  Whatever you put in it is what will spill out when your arm gets bumped.  If God is doing the filling, it will be filled with goodness and mercy. But your arm will be bumped.  Sometimes, the whole cup may be spilled out and sometimes that spilling over is a beautiful thing.

 It was for our Lord.  Jesus begged, “let this cup pass from me,” but his cup was spilled out instead.  And you know what came out on the cross when he was hurting, and broken, and exhausted?  Compassion.  Love.  Self-sacrifice.  Faithfulness.  Humility. Forgiveness. 

Your cup will be spilled out, too, and that’s okay – it’s supposed to.  Remember, you have an over-flowing, spilling cup designed that way on purpose.  What’s on the inside – even on days when you are broken or exhausted?

Let God fill your cup with his goodness, then let it overflow with love and grace into the lives of everyone around you.  Don’t be afraid of bumping the cup.