Death by Overflow

A couple of weeks ago I spotted a beautiful flower pot at the store that I knew would look incredible on my patio. It was beautiful with pink and yellow and white flowers. I’m into flowers in case you haven’t picked up on it, and this particular pot looked perfect.

Since I’d learned from experience that one must water the plants daily for them to survive, I put my mind to it and began watering that flower pot daily.

About a week into it, I wanted to see how it would look on the other side of the patio. I went to pick it up, but it was too heavy to lift. Weird, I thought to myself. It doesn’t look heavy.

But then I noticed that it was full of water to the rim. Double weird. It’s been awfully hot lately, and the fact that there was a lot of water still puddling in the pot gave me something to ponder.

Regardless, maybe because I’m a newbie, or maybe I’m just not smart enough to catch these things right away, I moved the pot to where I wanted it and continued to water it daily.

A few days went by, and I checked the pot again. Still full of water. Only this time, the plants in the pot looked dead. I mean plain old dead.

How could that be right, I wondered? First they told me my plants died because I wasn’t watering them enough, and now they’re dead even though I’m watering them every day, and sometimes even twice a day.

I asked a friend about it. Easy, she said. There must not be a hole in the bottom of the pot. Ha. Who knew. She was right. This pot can receive water but is unable to give it out. The result is death.

Are you catching the drift of this analogy?

God blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others. He gives us so that we would turn around and share those things with others.

It started in Genesis 12:1-3 when God promised to bless Abraham, so that in turn Abraham would then bless others. And in Luke 6:38 is says “Give and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” The teaching of Christ is reiterated in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30.

Without the holes in the bottom of the pot, the plants will die. Or rather, they have died.

The only way to survive huge amounts of water being poured into the pot of flowers is to make a way for that water to get out.

Blessed to be a blessing.

How is your flower pot looking? Is it on the brink of death living selflessly with only one purpose in mind – to get more from God? or are you being poured out for the glory and renown of God?

Your very life may depend on it!

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