“My cup overflows. Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.” Psalm 23:5-6 (NIV)
An image flashes through my mind of myself as an 8 year old girl, walking slowly and carefully toward my seat at a family dinner while carrying a full cup of water. As I passed by my grandpa, he casually leaned over and whispered in my ear, “If you don’t look at it, it won’t spill!”
I tried it, and to my amazement, the water stayed in my cup.
My grandfather’s advice worked surprisingly well for a cup of water, but it did not work nearly as well for my heart. Ignoring what is inside me does not keep it safely contained. Eventually, life bumps against me, and whatever has been filling my heart spills onto those around me.
So how do we honestly acknowledge what is inside us while allowing God’s truth, goodness, and love to shape what eventually spills out?
We begin by looking honestly at what is in our cup.
Our thoughts influence our beliefs, our emotions, and ultimately our actions. Rather than letting them run unchecked, we can pause, recognize them, and bring them before God. This is not about suppressing our thoughts or pretending difficult emotions do not exist. It is about bringing them under Christ’s authority and allowing His truth to redirect us.
David declared, “My cup overflows. Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.” Psalm 23:5-6 (NIV)
David’s cup overflowed because God, his Shepherd, filled it. In the same way, we do not manufacture goodness, gratitude, and love through willpower. We remain close to God and allow Him to fill us with what we cannot produce on our own.
If you find yourself feeling loneliness, sadness and grief in your cup, recognize it and name it. Difficult emotions are not spiritually wrong or evidence of an improperly filled cup. Jesus Himself experienced deep sorrow. When His friend Lazarus died, Jesus entered the grief of those around Him and wept. He models how we are to recognize the emotion and feel it.
Jesus did not deny sorrow, and neither should we.
We do not need to replace every difficult emotion with happiness. Instead, we can bring every emotion honestly before God so bitterness, fear, or resentment do not begin to control how we treat others.
God already knows us completely—every thought, every hurt, and every unspoken feeling—and He loves us still.
Look honestly at what is inside. Bring it to the Shepherd who knows and loves you. Let His Word replace lies with truth, fear with faith, and resentment with grace. As you remain close to Him, His goodness and love will fill you—and increasingly, that is what will splash onto the people around you.
Father, Thank You for walking beside me and knowing everything within my heart. Help me bring every thought and emotion honestly before You. Fill me with Your goodness, mercy, and love so that today and everyday, Your lovingkindness will spill onto everyone that I meet. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Take a moment to ask yourself:
- Is this thought producing faith or fear in my heart and mind?
- If this thought spills onto someone else, what will it communicate?
- What truth from God’s Word can I pour into this place?