Lately I've been frustrated. You'd think with Unite finally off the ground, graduation in sight, fundraising going well, and getting to know my squad better and better that there'd be no reason to be frustrated. Normally you'd be right. All of those things are awesome. That's not the issue. In fact, I had no idea what the issue was until very recently. You see, I'm at the very bottom of my squirt bottle.
You've heard the analogy before that if you pour yourself into everything but don't have any time for anyone to pour into you, you fizzle. I'm sure you've heard this. I prefer to put it a different way. Instead of seeing myself pouring cups of water into other cups all over the place, I see it as a squirt bottle. Instead of pouring, you shoot your squirt bottle at the things you're trying to do or the people in your life. Maybe you go for a light misting, or sometimes you change the nozzle to hit it with a full blast. You shoot, squirt, and drench the things in your life like there is no tomorrow. But eventually… You run out of water (or whatever you fill up your personal squirt bottle with). That's when you hear the raspy noise that lets you know that all you're shooting out now is air and maybe 2 particles of water. You squeeze and squeeze and SQUEEZE that lever trying your hardest to shoot more of yourself into whatever you're doing. But all you get is the raspy noise.
Boy have I been shooting my squirt bottle lately. Everywhere. At full blast. What I eventually figured out is that I've been on full rasp for what feels like a month. If you read my last post you kinda know the background. The irony is not lost on me that planning for a Christian event has left me feeling exhausted and distant from God. For a while I was just rasping away at everything. Maybe a friend would pour some water back into my bottle or I'd feel particularly receptive at church, but I'd just immediately shoot it back into everything I'm a part of. It hit me like a dump truck at FCA the other night… I haven't been spending ANY personal time with God lately.
I allowed myself to get worn down in the planning, in the school work, in the work work, in the worry, in my friends. I gave/give everything I have to all of these things, but never put aside any time so that I could get some water back in the bottle. I always tell people that whatever I'm involved in, I'm all there. It's true. And it's a problem. Especially when I think that everything can be fixed with a 1 hour nap between class and my next meeting/shift (It can't. I usually just feel more groggy).
Some of you may be sitting there thinking, "Well duh, Seth. You've been hearing that you should have a regular quiet time since you were four." To which I would absolutely have to agree. This should be obvious. But sometimes I just lose sight of what's important when I get caught up in the thick jungle of life.
So. If you're feeling frustrated, maybe your squirt bottle is almost empty. Maybe you've been raspy for quite a while and didn't even realize it. I plan to fix this by getting in the Word more. Maybe you need even more pouring though! I know a girl who makes time once a week to listen to podcasts from her favorite Christian speakers. Whatever! Just anything that you can do that pours into your spiritually. I think that may be the overall message. Sometimes you've gotta stop shooting your squirt bottle everywhere, and take time to go refill it.
Ladies and Gentlemen, get away from everything and refill your bottle every now and again. I know I'm gonna try and do it more. No one wants a raspy bottle.
Wanna join me on this journey? Pray for me. Pray for V squad overall. Heck, pray for everybody who is and will be going on the World Race. It certainly couldn't hurt! If you want to contribute more I still need quite a bit of money to head out on this journey, and would love for you to partner with me financially! Click the "Support Me" tab on the left hand side of this page or you could send a check in the mail to avoid the online processing fee. Send all checks to:
Adventures in Missions
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