Buckets

Well...I did it. I finished reading another book. I have to say, that this one was hard for me to read. I guess I shouldn't say hard...it just seemed to take me a while to finish it. I started it about two months ago...then started another book...finished that one...then got busy with other stuff...then finally...finished it! Woooh!! The book is titled: Love Your Life; Living Happy, Healthy and Whole by Victoria Osteen. With a title like that...you'd think I would have jumped in and read it as fast as my eyes could move across the pages. But nope...two months!! The book was very good for me. It taught me alot and enlightened me on several different topics. Her approach to writing is one that I can admire. It was a "feel good" book. Uplifting!! Who doesn't want to be uplifted? Her points were straight forward, but soft. I like that. She spoke about appreciating who we were created to be. Who God intended for us to be or become. She made a great point about being that ONE person in your own life, that encourages YOU. When there is no one else around to compliment or encourage us...we should be that for ourselves. We should recognize our potential in Christ and seek after our gifts and talents, even when there is no one available to push us to do so. Be encouraged to be your own encourager. That's what God wants us to do...to tap into who He already knows we are! I have to say that my favorite part of the book, was when she spoke about "buckets". Yes...I said buckets. She shared something that she had read in another book so I decided that it was just right for me to share the same thing from her book. You know...to pass it down.

BUCKETS!!!

We all have buckets. They carry our emotions. We can either be bucket fillers or bucket takers. We can either fill up others' buckets with our encouraging words and love, or we can take from or spill out their buckets with our crude comments or hatred. The things that we say and put into other people's lives can either help fill them up...or leave them feeling empty. We must choose our words carefully. It's all about finding common ground with one another. Encouraging them in the area that they need encouraging in. It's about building relationships, not tearing them down. Our lives are made up of the relationships we make while we live them. The truth is...we need people. You know...those God breathing things we share the planet with. Yes...those people. We need eachother. Let's face it...we need people to help us do everything. We need them to sale us things, we need them to employ us, we need them to serve our burgers at McDonalds, we need them to build the cars we drive in, we need them to deliver our mail, we need them to teach our children....I could go on and on. People need people. It's about treating ALL people with the same gratitude and love that we all want in life. The wonderful part about it is that love grows...it spreads fast...expanding in all directions... like yeast in a loaf of freshly made bread!! If I fill your bucket, you want to fill my bucket!! It's a chain reaction. The sad thing is...it can work the other way around too. None of us want to walk around with an empty bucket. We want our buckets overflowing with life and love!

Matthew 7:12

So in everything do to others what you would have them do to you.

I 've filled a few buckets in my lifetime. I've also taken from someone's bucket before. I might have even taken from yours. I apologize if I have. Am I taking from the buckets of those that are around me? My family at home? Am I teaching my children to be bucket fillers or bucket takers? I don't want to be a bucket emptier...I want to be a bucket filler!! I want to fill others' buckets to overflowing!! I want to fill their lives with what God has taught me to. Love, compassion, grace, unselfishness, encouragement, laughter, and patience!!

Don't be a bucket taker...

BE A BUCKET FILLER!!!

Dear God...help us to be bucket fillers. Help us to put into people's hearts what you have so graciously put into ours. Encourage us to be encouragers!! Giving you Glory in all things.

I Thessalonians 5:11

Therefore encourage one another and build eachother up.

Matthew 12:34

For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.