Matthew 2:10-11
“When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”
Life has a way of constantly draining us. We are so busy meeting the needs of others that when it comes time to rest we don’t know what to do with ourselves. Our families, friends, and responsibilities are always demanding our time and energy. At the end of the day, numbing my mind is all I want to do.
Do you ever find yourself complaining about how tired you are? If you are anything like me you totally do. I long for rest and to be filled with contentment and peace, yet life seems to give me the exact opposite.
Imagine you are a cup of water and every time you do something, you are giving some of your water away. Your friend is sad, so you pour some of your water by spending time with them. You have to study for a test, so you splash some water out here and there. Your parents are stressed so you drain out the last bits of water you have by doing some chores around the house. At the end of the day, we are empty cups that need to be refilled.
The wise men probably experienced this when Herod sent them in search of baby Jesus. They didn’t have Waze or Google maps to get them around. They travelled on foot blindly following the stars. There’s no doubt they were all empty cups in search of the only one who could fill them up.
When the wise men drew near to Jesus, they experienced an overflow of joy and peace. We’d expect them to fall on the floor and sleep for days after such a long journey. Instead, the overflow of their cups gave them no other option than to pour the overflow of joy out to Jesus. They worshipped the messiah and showered him with gifts.
“When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” Matthew 2:10-11
Maybe school has drained you or your family has been going through a difficult time and your cup is dry. We can only pour into others well when we fill ourselves up with Jesus.
Spend some time this Christmas season refilling your cups by simply drawing near to Jesus. Whether in prayer, worship, or enjoying nature, find small ways to fill yourself up with Jesus so you can overflow Jesus’s joy and peace, blessing those around you.