Overflow starts with Giving

During this season, I was reminded of restaurants where you cannot have your glass refilled unless it is empty. In buffets, it is impossible to have more things on your plate if you are overflowing with what you have at the moment. That idea struck me with a wild intensity as I on ponder things during this outbreak. Maybe, just maybe, there is beauty in emptying myself so I can receive more.

COVID-19 really struck hard before I even know it was doing something to me mentally. I can see and feel darkness starting to cloud my thoughts because I was dazed by suddenly not doing anything and not wanting to do anything and just staying at home. I wasn’t functioning the way I define functional – at work especially. I know if I let demotivation drown me, it’s going to be hard to resurface. Also, working hard for the sake of not dealing with the things that I feel is also unhealthy in so many ways.

I struggled interceding and praying during these times. I feel like I shut off for a few good weeks before I had the strength to ask God what I can do during this season. There must be something, really. He said in the Word that God works things for the good of those who love Him, those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). I know it is a season of being more proactive in advancing His kingdom. I want to be a part of it – the revolution, the redefinition, the revival.

God hears prayers is an understatement. He plugged our church to a ministry called Team Jesus who receives from food banks for free. It’s been a month now since we started the Share and Care Ministry for this season (our church has had one years before); it has been a month since we have been hauling food (usually produce, fruits, pastries, and milk); a month since we have been joyfully bagging them; a month since we have been delivering to the Seniors in our community. It is a joy – super exhausting, but it is the kind of tiredness I enjoy because my heart is fulfilled. Their overflowing gratefulness expressed when their eyes and smiles brighten is so worth the exhaustion. I praise God for how He moves. I mean, this is the Kingdom: a church with no walls, a community that transforms, an answer to prayers.

Whenever there is an extra, I try to bring some to my families. But lately, I find myself refusing offers of “Hey Ais, you should take some home for your family.” To which I would always reply, “Sorry, we are still overflowing.” Literally, we cannot put anything anymore in our fridge. Like, milk would just spoil if not refrigerated and other things like that. As I ponder on these things, I cannot help but to be amazed on the very word I kept using.

Overflowing. This might be the last word we can all use during this Pandemic. Panic fear and anxiety are in the air. We can all feel it when we go to the stores and we can find no rice or no more tissue papers. We can feel its tangible presence when we must line up outside Costco, WinCo or Walmart; when most of us are in danger of losing our jobs. These are facts and we should not gaslight ourselves and think that this is not happening.

But I am just reminded that we have a choice to partner with facts or stand up for the truth of God’s promises. God said in His word the we will never lack in anything if we walk with Him (Psalms 23:1). He also said that He does not just give us life but life in abundance (John 10:10). I also struggled believing in this. But I praise God because even in my unbelief, He is good.

We have the freedom to choose and partner with panic, fear, and anxiety. They are the ones pushing us to buy more than what we need because we think that we will run out. They are the ones pushing us to believe that our security lies in the quantity of what we buy. We hoard alcohols, Lysol, disinfectants, and many more thinking that we would be okay if we have tons in our homes, leaving nothing for other people and making them more vulnerable and susceptible.

However, we can also partner with God who is our provider in all seasons of our lives. We can choose to stand and believe that we will not lack in anything. That when He blesses us, He gives us more that what we could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). That when He blesses us, He gives in abundance so we can bless other people. Our Share and Care Ministry has hit me hard with these realizations.

When I surrendered my fear to God about not having enough money to buy food or having money but not having enough supplies to buy, He allowed me to be part of the Ministry that gives. That is when I noticed that our fridge is always full of what we need and more!

This entry is not to demean or invalidate those who are really in need. All of us have seasons in our lives where we are the ones receiving and needing help from other people. This is for all those who have the opportunities to give. Not necessarily food or money – but maybe a word of encouragement to the staff working on the stores, kind appreciation to our healthcare workers and police force, giving help resources to the people in our community who are needing essential things.

With bold expectations, let us bless others so they too can be a blessing. May this season be a time of giving. For indeed, I have witnessed and felt, firsthand, the magnitude of the statement: It is so much better to give. In giving, comes the overflow of God’s abundance. It is when we empty ourselves for the sake of others, just as Jesus did, that we receive more of God’s overflow.

Let us align ourselves with His truth that if we walk with Him, we will never lack.