My Cup is Overflowing

There are brief moments in life that change our perspective and outlook on life. We all share brief moments that just sticks with us forever that changes ones moral compass in life. These are life changing moments that are really insignificant to the rest of the world. It happened to me on Bike Day. It was Bike Day at Abby’s daycare. We were a struggling young, broke family. When I say our family was broke, I mean counting out change to but food broke. We had a dose of reality that children were way more expensive than we figured. Kellie was trying hard to raise two kids, Abby and myself, and times were tough. Our marriage, our relationship with God, our finances, our sanity, everything was stretched passed the limit. Every aspect of life was at the breaking point. To top it off it was Bike Day. I got an old bike that Abby’s grandmother had bought her at a yard sale and we headed off to school. Abby arrived at school with the excitement of a four year old on Bike Day. With this old used, too little, scratched, beat up bike in one hand, and Abby holding on to the other, we head into to the school. We opened up the first door and there in the entry way were lined up beautiful shinny new bikes. Areal bikes, princesses, Disney bikes, all types of shinny new bikes as Abby’s face lit up like the fourth of July. She looked at the others bike and then looked at hers as I sat it down besides the others. She did not say a single word, but I stood there and watched as excitement, awe, enthusiasm all drained from her face. She looked again at the others bikes and then back at hers. She then paused and looked up at me, with those beautiful eyes, and said, “Its ok Daddy, I love you.”


My world with those words came crashing down. No father felt as low as I did at that exact moment. I kissed her bye and left. She be-bopped on in and joined her class. Instead of driving to work I drove to Target. I sat in my truck, tears rolling down my face waiting for the store to open. I was devising my plan on how I could steal my baby girl a bike. That transformation on her face was etched into my conscious. As I waited for the store to open, I kept looking at the clock, the store was suppose to open at 9:00 it was already ten after and the store was not yet open. As I pondered why the store had not open on time, I recalled her words. Simple words all fathers hear from their toddlers. “It Ok, Daddy, I love you.” She loved me, not a new bike. She loved me despite my ability to get her a material possession that others had. God granted me the serenity to see that I possessed the most precious gift of all. I had a daughter who adored me, who looked to me for protection, guidance, understanding, love, self image, and security. She looked to me for how to navigate in the world.I was her hero and I was about to steal her a bike? She didn’t need a new bike, she needed a new father. Call it a mystery, call it God’s intervention, call it coincidence, but I thank God for whatever reason Target did not open on time that morning. I left a different person. I left with my cup overflowing.

In the familiar song of David, Psalm 23 we are reminded that God anoints our heads with oil. It is a phrase we hear but I am not sure we all know the true depths of its meaning. God told Moses to make special oil and anoint specific things with the oil. The oil was to be used sparingly. When the items were anointed with the oil, they became holy. The ordinary becomes holy. It means they are set apart from the rest. It is called kadosh, in Hebrew by anointing with oil takes something plain and ordinary and makes it Holy. Those who are anointed with oil become an offering to God. This Holy thing becomes an offering to be used by God. God chose in Jesus Christ to anoint us, you and I, make us Holy and to be used to glorify God. Anointing with oil also had another purpose as a healing agent. It was used to remove the dangerous influences on us in our life, those things that are harmful or cause disease. Oil was used for medicinal purposes to heal us. God heals us, sets us apart, and makes our lives Holy.

You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. When our cup overflows, the vessels of our lives can not hold all the blessings God has in store for us. It is superabundance. God is able to do more than we can ever ask for or think of. God will accomplish more with us than we could ever imagine. God’s grace, mercy, a life with God will never run out. We have an unlimited supply of God’s blessing only if we desire to drink. The more we drink he more we want, and the closer we get to a right relationship with God. The more right relationship with God, the more we want.

Want does that mean for our life and our church? You may be asking. I thought this was about stewardship. It is. Stewardship begins we realize we are anointed by God, by the blood of our Savior Jesus Christ. We are set apart from others to connect people to the love of Jesus Christ. We a little old ordinary church, a little life, with all our problems, worries and concerns becomes God’s Holy offering. When we acknowledge our anointing, we become like no other church, no other father, mother, grandparent, child, old adult, young adult, Elder, deacon, whatever we are in life. Even with all our flaws, frailties, uncertainties, pain, and anxiety. We realize we can do more than we have ever imagined. We might be at the lowest point in our lives and realize what’s truly important. We may think we are broke but our lives re4ally filled with riches beyond measure. We may begin to live not in the moment but in the longevity of our lives. We may realize what we are to others is more important than our current situation. We may hear the words of one who loves us, say I love you Daddy. We may realize God anoints our head with oil, and yes, our cup is overflowing.
Shalom,
Tommy