At some point in their lives, everyone has given of themselves so much that they feel as though they have emptied themselves out. Once they get to that point of emptiness, they tend to fall into a place of bitterness and resentment. Why isn’t there someone pouring into me? Why do I feel like I am always giving and never receiving? I give, I give, and I give, and those people never give back to me!
Over time it becomes easier and easier to choose not to give of ourselves to others. It becomes easier to justify keeping to ourselves. It becomes easy to feel like keeping to ourselves is a good way of protecting ourselves. Because emptiness hurts, our brains create a negative feedback loop where we believe that if we don’t pour out from ourselves to others, we will never feel the emptiness that comes from pouring ourselves out to others. This is a lie.
Emptiness, we reason, won’t show up in our lives if we stop pouring ourselves out to others. It will simply show up in another part of our lives. When we stop pouring ourselves out to others, emptiness will appear in our loneliness! Emptiness will show up in our disgruntled emotions toward our jobs and our frustrations with our finances. Emptiness will find a way through any crack it can and will manifest itself in all the facets of our lives.
We must remember that God alone can fill the emptiness of our lives. God is the one pouring into us as we pour into others. He is the source of all things good and wonderful in our lives. If we have joy, our joy comes from the Lord. If we have peace, our peace comes from the Lord. If we have strength, our strength comes from the Lord. We are not refilled by people; we are refilled by God. He may use people to fill us when we are empty. He may use people to encourage and strengthen us when we are weak, but it still comes from Him!
He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) He promises that by whatever measure we give, He will give it back to us “good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over!” Stop looking to others to fill your cup! Look to God to fill your cup because God will fill your cup to overflowing!
Do not be weary in well doing! Why? Because in due season, we will reap if we fail not! It just might be that God sent you somebody to pour yourself into because He knew you had the heart and the ability to give them what they needed. They needed your ability to show mercy. They needed your ability to show kindness. God looked at them and said, “I know the perfect person to help you in your situation,” and sent them to you!
Don’t stop pouring yourself out to others. Don’t get weary of that gift that God has given you. Don’t look to the people in need of your gifts that God sends your way to turn around and pour back into you. God didn’t send them to you for them to help you; He sent them to you so that you can help them! When you are done pouring yourself out to them, turn to God and let God fill you back up to overflowing!
Pastor Anthony Yanny
Faith for Flourishing 
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