A few weeks ago we had a visiting pastor at our church and he said something significant as a side note to his message. I believe this reminder speaks to the heart of every woman.
He said, “Be sure to set aside time everyday, throughout the day, to let the Lord love on you.”
His statement struck me, and I wondered if I was really doing that? Sure I spent the first segment of my morning in the Word, in joyful prayer allowing God to love on me. But it occurred to me that I was not pausing during my busy day to again, let God love on me.
Every human on this earth has an inborn need to feel loved. Although we have varying levels of this need, we are essentially like “empty cups,” with a deep need to be filled. If we are not allowing God to first fill our “cup,” our human nature is to strive to fill it in other ways such as dependence upon a spouse, children, friends, food, career accolades, etc. But anything aside from the Lord’s love will come up short.
Remember, God designed us with this deep longing for love because He is the ONLY one who can adequately satisfy. I have made this my focus for the past few weeks, pausing throughout my day to be filled again. Pausing while unloading the dishwasher, pausing while pulling weeds in my garden, pausing at any given to time to be filled again by God’s love. His matchless love.
Then I remembered. . . If we are being filled to overflowing by God’s love throughout our day, then we are readily able to pour this same love into our children. A supernatural, awesome love from God. Our days are jammed packed, I know. We rush to and from activities, face numerous challenges, our patience tried again and again. We can easily fall back on our own strength and try to persevere. We all know how this feels: exhausting. In our humanness we can tend to default to our own strength and forget that God has already made a way.
God has called us as moms to something even greater: pure dependence on Him. Remember, you are a mom only because He has granted you this role and entrusted His precious little life into your care.
Isaiah 40:31 says,
But those who hope in the Lord with renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
{Or personal paraphrase, insert your name, “___________, hope on Me, I will renew your strength. You will soar on wings like eagle, you will walk and not grow weary, you will walk and not be faint.”}
The Lord has shown me that my children are empty little cups, every morning. I have been blessed in the role “cup filler” as their Mommy {so have you!}. But not by our own strength; rather, we are pouring out that which has already been poured into us when we pause and allow God to love on us throughout the day. My words to them, my smiles to them, our conversations, open-ended questions, spontaneous scripture quotes in praise, hug and kisses become the very love pouring out. Their little cups filled in the name of Jesus.
As moms of young children, we are standing in the priceless and tender gap of their relationship with Jesus Christ. We are the ones called to shine His Light and fill their cups with God’s love. It is by this that the relationship is slowly transferred as they grow in independence, that is, our role as the “cup filler” transitioning to that of the Lord being their primary cup filler.
The equation is simple, the more you pause and allow God to love on you and fill your cup throughout the day, the more you will have to pour into the precious little cups God has given you. Remember, it is not just your cup the Lord wants to fill.
How are you allowing the Lord to fill your cup? And how, in turn, are you pouring out His love on your children?
Dr. Megan Osborne
For more resources and support in leading your children towards a healthy view of food and body image, connect with Dr. Osborne and her books at shapedwithlove.com
This post appears courtesy of Dr. Megan Osborne, through a generous grant from FINDINGbalance, Inc. For more tools + an amazing community of adults finding freedom and balance in the areas of food and body image, check out FINDINGbalance.
Lord, please fill my cup.
I really needed this today-thank you.
Thank you for this post. I guess my problem is not knowing how to let God love on me. I understand setting aside time for reading devotionals or scripture, but exactly what do you do in those pauses during the day….say a quick prayer for God to fill you with His love? i know it’s a weird question. it all sounds good….i just don’t know how to put it in practice 🙂
I was wondering the same thing. What does this mean?
Erin and Megan, I’m so glad you asked the question because I think so many of us wonder the same thing. I think the practical application of letting God love on you or fill your emotional cup is different for everyone depending on your personality and what means the most to you. It could be exactly what you suggested, Erin…pausing to say a prayer and letting God comfort you in the moment. Reading a favorite verse, maybe saying it out loud can focus your mind on truth which is a way of letting God’s love cover you. Or maybe listening to worship music and really allowing the words to seep into your heart.
I think the main thing is to pause throughout the day and do something that connects you to God. Then allow the truth of his love to fill you. I am praying for you both right now to feel him fill you up this week. Blessings to you!