We have all heard the illustration that when a cup is bumped what is inside the cup will spill out, demonstrating the fact that what is in our heart will come out when our heart is “bumped.”.
I love when life is easy. When there is enough money, my husband and I are in complete agreement about everything, the kids are perfectly behaving, the extended family is loving and pleased… You get the idea. Everything is “hunky-dory”. In those times, joy comes easy. Love seems to overflow. Everything is beautiful. BUT life often is not perfect. Why does God allow trials to come, relationships to struggle, life to “hit bumps”? I believe, in part, it is to reveal to us what has been in our hearts all along. He reveals character flaws and – yes, lets call it what it is- sin so that we can deal with it.
The Bible states, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9)
When we first meet Rachel in the Bible, she seems a beautiful person; but as her life becomes complicated and even unfair, the real Rachel “spills out”. We see her to be a very selfish,competitive, manipulating person, who looked to others and even idols to supply what only God could give her. Her beauty was only skin deep. Inwardly, she was a very ugly, unhappyperson. Though she eventually received her most sought-after desires; she died leaving them for others to raise.
Is life a little hard right now? Are you experiencing feelings of frustration, discontentment, etc.? Have these feelings spilled out to others?
Thankfully, we are not dead. There is hope. We can allow God to cleanse our hearts. (Ps. 139:23,24) We can refocus and surrender to God’s inward working (Phil 2:13) so that no matter what “bumps” us, we can spill out the love and grace of God. The story of Job has taught us that everything we go through has at least three purposes: to accomplish something in our life, to comfort and help others, and to bring God glory. (James 5:10,11) Only a right response to the trials in our life can accomplish all of these purposes or in the words of our illustration, “ spill out” God’s purpose straight from our Holy Spirit- controlled heart.
