I’ve been asked more than once, ‘what fills your cup?’ It’s a handy question when discerning a career path or other personal course of action. In thinking of more practical things, I’d easily look to fill my cup with loving family and friends, a good job, a nice home, etc. All fair, all good, and all necessary foundations. But how do I measure filling a cup of spirituality and heart? How will I know when it’s full? Or does it even get completely full as my journey in faith continues to move? When I consider the question in those terms, I take it to mean, what brings you joy? What gives you purpose? What replenishes your mind, body, and spirit? In honesty, I don’t think I’ve ever fully answered those questions. It’s a little easier for me to answer, ‘what doesn’t fill my cup?’ I’m aware of what depletes me, of what interferes with my cup of faith. Those obstacles seem easier to identify.
We certainly know a full cup—however it uniquely looks to each of us—doesn’t mean it will always be filled easily as we experience joys and hurts; gains and losses; moments of strength and weakness. For me, if I want to truly answer the question, then I’ll need to make the time and effort to pay close attention to my heart and spirit which will involve praying for the grace of (self) honesty. I’ll need to consider where I’ve been spiritually and emotionally, where do I want to go to be filled spiritually and emotionally, and what do I need to do to get there? Perhaps another way to ask the question is, ‘what helps you feel God—feel God working and living in you?’ I do have some immediate answers to that one such as sharing stories of faith as a community, reflecting on spiritual wisdom and guidance, and joining with friends in service to our neighbors.
What spiritually and emotionally fills our cups likely changes, so we will need to continue replenishing, refocusing, and rebalancing those spiritual cups of life, strength, and faith. I offer this verse as a guide for us as we do that: ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.’ (Rom 15:13) Only you know, or can discern, what fills your cup. I’m still not quite sure, so it’s an ongoing discovery for me. However, I know God holds my cup, and I pray He helps me fill it so that I fully know and live in His joy, peace and grace.
Journeying to Grace 