What’s in Your Vessel?

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it”. Proverbs 4:23

Imagine buying a bottle of olive oil only to discover it’s filled with coffee. Or using a teapot to store flour. Each vessel has a precise purpose. As followers of Christ, our bodies (vessels) are the temple of God. His Spirit lives inside us. Consequently, what ought to pour out of you and me should be words and actions that are of the Spirit and not of darkness. This is why it is so important to protect our innermost being, the source of our thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, and actions. Whatever we allow to enter our hearts will be expressed in our lives and actions in positive or negative ways.

Allow me to confess something that happened to me this past week. When my publisher sent me a Dear John letter, I was upset, angry, and very, very sad. As the days passed and I discussed what had happened with fellow authors, it became clear that the business was dishonest in its dealings with authors and illustrators. Most of us hadn’t been paid royalties in months, and illustrators weren’t being paid for their services. As the discussion continued, tempers flared. There was talk of taking out an action lawsuit against the company. I considered reporting them to the Better Business Bureau. Not that there’s anything wrong in doing so, yet in my heart, I didn’t feel a sense of peace. Because my motive wasn’t to prevent other writers from suffering the same fate as me but retaliation for the wrongs done against me.

I share this to make a point: what is inside of me is what will pour out of me – especially in times of stress and distress. Ephesians 4:7 says, “But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” Consequently, what should flow out of me – whether I was wronged or not – should be not a desire for vengeance but a spirit of grace.

Prayer: Lord, fill my life so fully that there is no room for anything that is not pleasing to you. Search me, O Lord, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts. See if there be any grievous way (content) in me and rid my life, my vessel, of it. May this vessel always pour forth love, forgiveness, and grace, no matter what comes my way. Amen.

“We do not choose the vessel we’re given, but we choose what we pour out and what we keep inside.”—Lisa Wingate, The Prayer Box.