Lord, Please Make Me a Fountain – Not a Drain

I had an “aha” moment as I was adding water to the base of my children’s fountain. In these hot temperatures, the water evaporates quickly so it requires an occasional fill-up. I started thinking about how to be an unstoppable fountain of life and not a drain. Putting it into “people terms” – it’s striving to be a life-giver -- a positive encourager instead of a negative drainer.

I'm sure you can think of a few negative people who can take an intended joyful time and turn it into a draining time. They have difficulty finding the good in anything. We love them, but if we hang around them for very long, we sense our own joy draining. No doubt, they may have had some really negative stuff happen in their lives and it has impacted their heart and soul. We all have a past that tries to bind us, or maybe a present that insists on weighing us down and even a future that shows no glimmer of hope. But, no matter what – there is always the Source of Hope Who dwells within us if we are believers in our God of Hope. And, we want that for them, too!

We can’t always change our circumstances or our past, but we can change how we view our life as it moves forward. If we find ourselves facing life with dread, then I’d like to offer you a few of my personal habits that have served me well and kept my fountain overflowing instead of draining life out of me, as well as those in my sphere of influence.

~ Be positive. It can be a work-out, but when we do, it becomes second nature and it creates a fountain of life to others.

~ Count your blessings. Start right here to find your happy place. We woke up this morning. We were able to get up out of bed on our own. We have a place to live. We have food to eat. We have God Who loves us so much. Keep in mind there is always someone who has a much tougher time than we do!

~ Be hopeful. Hope is a wondrous thing. I’m passionate about this one because “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13.12). We all need to reach down inside for our child-like anticipation for the future. It's possible with God because He provides a hope that makes the heart healthy and filled with joy. God has our best interests at heart. God wants good things for us, plans to prosper us, and not harm us. Sometimes we slip-up or the world throws us a curve-ball, but it doesn’t change who He is. He is always good, and always desires good for us. That is always and forever a reason to have HOPE! Let's blow up that HOPE balloon and let it fly!

~ Surround yourself with positivity. We become those who we hang around if we let them. Sit with an incessant complainer and before long it’s natural to gravitate to their side and we are complaining about this and that, too. Hang out with life-givers and our fountain starts to overflow with life!

~ Encourage others. Who wants to be a drain that depletes others of their God-given inherent joy? Not me! I want to be a fountain-of-life encourager who speaks life. Positive words empower and energize others. Let’s fill up the fountain within us so it has a never-ending spring of Living Water flowing to those around us. God knows they may be going down for the last time in murky waters of unbelief and negativity. God may be sending out a 9-1-1 call for you and I to be His emergency "springs of living water" provider.

John 7:37-38 "Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

Are You Draining Fast?

Day 42 of Photo Inspirations -- Are You Draining Fast?
This is my cell phone showing the new app that I added to help me save on my battery.  It helps me to keep my phone at optimal power….and all I have to do is to occasionally check it.  See all those apps on the right?   They are the power drainers and the app optimizes my phone by closing down those apps that are consuming the power.

That made me think about this amazing human computer that we are, and how God designed us for optimal performance – just like how Samsung manufactured my Galaxy Note 2 with optimal performance.  But as with my phone being overtasked… so do this bodies that God gave us.

Those power drainers that we face on a daily basis are the alarm clock not “alarming” and we’re late for work or an appointment, having to deal with traffic or a cranky co-worker or family member or the messy house or the to-do lists that we hardly get started with.    All these things are DRAINING us fast – and we need to go to a place of peace and quiet to recharge and optimize ourselves again.  What if we’re running at an unhealthy pace that doesn’t allow us to stop and consider our actions and reactions?

Without a doubt, our days are filled with energy drainers, but just like me putting an app on my phone to help save the battery, we need to do that for our physical bodies.  I found an article in WebMD that talked about the biggest energy zappers that keep us from optimal performance:  
1. Too much sugar
2. Caffeine -- keeps from getting a good night's sleep.
3. Exercise (Too Little or Too Much)
4. Dehydration -- we need water to keep our energy up.
5. Lack of Sleep
6. Bad attitude (In changing the way we think and act, we build an attitude force so strong that it will attract favor, opportunities, people, and dreams into our existence).
7. Clutter and Disorganization = being lethargic and lacking in energy and optimism.
8. Not Enough Food
9. Stress & Conflict -- try meditating, taking a walk, or breathing deeply and slowly.
10. Saying "Yes" too often -- Do you tend to do things that fuel you? Or do you find that most of your time is spent on activities that deplete you?

As for me, I rely on the battery charger of meditating on God’s Word that gives me energy and light.  I go to a place of refuge – of peace – away from the hustle and bustle – to the place of comfort and strength when I'm feeling drained.  It takes discipline to be still enough for the “full charge” to be back into my battery – but I have found that in doing so, I am good for handling all those applications until I need to re-charge again.
#Recharge #PowerUp