You Can't Pour From an Empty Cup

May 2022, I stood on a trail at Well of Mercy at the end of myself. I was emotionally drained, mentally spent, and physically depleted. How did I get to this place again? God, I can’t do this anymore. I heard clear as day, “I love you for who you are. This is your season of rest.” Wait, what does that even mean? It’s just like God to give me that and then go silent.

I would like to say that I quickly figured out what He meant, fixed it, and moved on with my life. That wasn’t the case. No, I had to get worse before I got better. With Bible and journal in hand, I spent many mornings just sitting in silence. Until finally, the words came.

What did I learn? God loves me for who I am and not what I do. I extend grace to others while giving none to myself. I don’t fully understand that sometimes I just need to “be” instead of “be doing something.” Finally, practicing self care is essential not only to me but to others in my life.

Have I fully evolved to a balanced Marisa? No, but I am working towards it. I am writing about this because someone needs to read this. We live in a world that judges us by performance and how busy we are. That is not how God looks at us. He longs for a personal relationship with us and for each of us to encourage the other on our journey. You can’t encourage others when you tap out. You can’t pour into the lives of others when you are empty.

Take a moment to check in with yourself. Is your relationship right with Jesus? Are you taking care of yourself or do you feel stressed out or depressed? I have learned it’s good to take these assessments periodically to keep yourself balanced.