Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Luke 6:38 NIV
Have you ever read the children’s book written by Carol McCloud (2015) titled, “Have You Filled a Bucket today?” Many of us have probably read it to our children to teach them the importance of kindness. The lesson is that when we fill another’s bucket, we are choosing to fill our own bucket as well. However, when we are constantly negative and unkind, then we are dipping into our own buckets. This book reminds us that all day long, we are either dipping or filling each other’s buckets by what we say and do. Pretty simple right?.... Wrong!
It is easier to teach this virtue to our little ones than it is to live it all day long in a diverse world where there are varied experiences, perspectives, and people. None of us is immune (this writer included). Yet we all desire a positive and empathetic world where people can live in harmony and unity. Kindness does not come from trying (Isaiah 64:6); not even from trying hard. It is the by-product of a surrendered life. In the words of the hymnwriter, Frances R. Havergal, “Take My Life and Let It Be (1873).” When we sincerely and humbly surrender to Jesus, kindness is one of the fruits we bear through his Spirit. This is why it is so hard to be kind, when we perceive that people are not meeting our standards. Anyone can be kind to the “deserving.” The challenge of the Christian life, however, is to be kind to those whom we deem “undeserving.”
The writer of the gospel of Luke reminds us , “with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” What are you bringing into the world today: a filler or a dipper? A filler fills buckets, while a dipper empties buckets. Chances are it is the same instrument you will take with you into all the other spaces God will send you. So, ask the Holy Spirit to help you select the right instrument as you interact with your husband, wife, children, friends, and co-workers. Go one step further and embrace the challenge of filling another’s bucket for 30 days straight in Jesus’ name. It’s the world we all yearn and pray for. AMEN.