As I was busy with my morning routine and taking care of the needs of many little ones today, the Lord reminded me of something......
My oil.
And the price that has been paid for it.
As I mentioned in my last post about the waiting. (Oh the waiting!!) It's a good thing. It works patience in us. It grows our faith. It stretches us in ways we never thought we could be stretched.
Our waiting and our deeper trusting. It produces oil.....
Just as suffering does.
As we seek Him through our suffering. He turns our situations around and he turns our suffering into oil.
And oil sweet friends is what we need flowing in and through our life to best represent Him.
You can't demonstrate His heart without it.
Relationship with Him breathes. It flows. It loves.
And is full of oil.
Oil flows from a life that has suffered. Survived. Overcome. Withstood.
And has something left to give.
In fact, has something left
to pour into the hearts of others.
What we experience and overcome in life can work tremendous compassion in our hearts or it
can go the complete opposite route and cause bitterness and resentment to set up camp inside our hearts.
When we allow time with Him to work compassion in our hearts the oil flows.
It is what will cause you to notice the employee working behind the concession stand at Target while you are waiting to pay. It's what will cause you to walk over and make sure she is okay. To encourage her and to bless her.
You don't see uniforms or red shirts anymore at Target. You see hearts. You see people.
His people.
People who got up and came to work that day with a heart full of things that only God can repair.
It's what causes you to go from "people watching" to "people blessing."
It's what causes you to go from being a spectator to being an agent for change.
It's what creates an attitude inside your heart that leads you to finding creative ways to bless people.
Instead of indifference you walk with compassion.
Instead of thinking about it, you demonstrate it.
You don't see waiters and waitresses.
You no longer just see "the girl who answers the phones" behind the desk.
You no longer want to hear negative talk about "so and so and such and such."
You see hearts. You see opportunities to be His hands and feet. To be His mouthpiece.
Even in the midst of your own pain.
In the midst of your own suffering.
In the midst of your own trials and heartaches.
The immense joy of "people blessing" is the best cure for our own suffering.
I have found that the ones in life who are the greatest and most tremendous blessing to others are the ones who have suffered beyond comparison. They are the recipients of the largest quantities of precious oil and have made the choice to spend their life as a vessel for Him.
They are not limited in blessing others because of financial circumstances.
They bless anyway.
They are not waiting for things to "get better" in their own life before they will help others.
They bless in the midst of their waiting.
They are not too busy or too focused on their own life to pour into the lives of others.
They are creative. Inspirational. Intentional. Full of purpose.
They are life givers. Seed sowers and World changers.....
Surround yourself with people who pour......
I will leave you with my all time favorite quote by John Wesley.
"Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can."
Isn't that a beautiful way to live?
Talk about a lifestyle of worship......
I pray that this post fills your heart with encouragement today and plants way for opportunity and that most of all your life is dripping with His sweet smelling oil.......
