Cups

Some days our cups just "runneth over." We follow our normal routine, and before we know it we end up with a healthy dose of laughter, drama, tragedy, stress, work, joy or trouble all over our lap like the lady who sued McDonald's had her scalding coffee. We think that we are just having a ho-hum existence and then BAM! we are looking for something to help mop up the excess.

Some of these incidents are fairly benign. These are along the lines of the stress caused by hitting every red light on the way to somewhere we don't really want to go in the first place (ie. work) and we start filling our cups. We scream words that we certainly wouldn't quote in front of our mothers at people who we assume are idiots. I know this because anyone who is not doing what I want them to do...is surely an idiot. I think that's fairly universal judging by some of the silent yelling I see through car windows from time to time.

Other days, I get a phone call with good news...a compliment...my kids hug me for no reason...and Big Dave has supper cooked and on the table. Those are the kind of cup runneth over days that I am most fond of if the truth be told.

I have also had days where I have felt incredibly blessed to just be alive. Where I wake up to coffee prepared just like I like it in a mug by my bed, a sunrise that is awesome, and it is Saturday. I turn on the television and watch SEC football all day in my pajamas. Every team I root for wins...and we have a delicious steak dinner to top it off. By the way...that's my idea of a perfect day...

Other times, I am glad just to be part of an experience that is amazing. I am invited to a dazzling wedding. I'm looking at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris with my children. I am sitting on the front row of "Mamma Mia" on Broadway. I hold seven tiny puppies just minutes after Dixie becomes a Mom.

Today, my cup runneth over with frustration, nervousness and bad humor. I tried desperately to keep the contents in the cup, but weeks of holding it in, and days of striving to work through it all proved to be too much. So, I lost it. And sadly, once a bitter cup spills...it's quite a deluge.

I've been so lucky in my life. I've gotten to do all of the things that I wanted to do. Maybe not as often as I'd like...as in travel...or as well as I'd like. But my cup has been quite full. Sometimes I forget that I've supersized my cups, as my life has changed...and traded up from a shot glass to the Big Gulp. And yet it still overflows sometimes...both positively and negatively.

So, the next time you are sitting in traffic bemoaning your lot, remember that you have somewhere to go...and the means to go there. You have people counting on you to provide or you have dreams that you are still chasing. There are friends and family who love you and to whom you matter. You still have trails to blaze, books to read, and people to meet. If you are still here...you still have a purpose...and that purpose is an incredible gift.

Look at the cups you have in your cabinet. If they are like mine...some are souvenirs of places you've been, some show what team or what causes you support, and others have your name on them...or are just your favorites. All are different sizes...made of different materials...are different colors or have different functions. And each of these has the capacity to overflow. The trick is to keep the liquid in the glass...or if you can't...you choose a bigger cup. Perhaps the cups run over because we need to learn some moderation or we need to share. All I know is that if we ignore the limits of the cup...we'll have a mess to clean up somewhere along the way.

So, tomorrow...if you find a bitter cup running over...give it to God...share it. I should have done that today...but I didn't. I would have been happier had I done what I know I am instructed to do. But sometimes we are so stubborn!

If you have a cup of joy...share it with others. Making people laugh or sharing of your bounty is one of the most rewarding things that God allows us to do. He owns it all anyway...but He allows us to share by giving us more than we need.

If you have a cup of busyness...know your limits and let it pass by you a few times to keep it all in balance. After all, it is hard to catch the overflow from a cup of joy when you are busy mopping up after the abundance of an overwhelmed schedule and a to do list that extends beyond the limits of your patience.

Today, my cup ran over. And it wasn't pretty. But tomorrow is another day. God gently reminded me that I failed to walk my talk today. I bowed up like a cornered skunk, and the results where about as appealing. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a day where I can share a smile, some joy, or a pearl of wisdom. That's the kind of overflow I can definitely appreciate...and I find that others do as well. Here's hoping...