My human says you can tell a lot about what’s inside something by what spills out when it gets bumped.
Now I know a little something about that.
You see, I’ve knocked over a few things in my day.
A water bowl.
A trash can.
Once a bucket that smelled suspiciously like the stuff my human cleans out of the pipes under the house.
Let me tell you… when that bucket tipped, what came out was not something anyone wanted tracking across the carpet.
And that got me thinking.
My human was reading from the Bible the other morning where Jesus said something mighty interesting:
“You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
- Matthew 12:34
That explains a lot of barking I’ve heard from people.
Because when life bumps us—
… when someone cuts us off in traffic
… when the job gets hard…
… when the bills pile up…
… when someone hurts our feelings…
Whatever is inside us is what spills out.
Some folks spill sewage.
You know the kind.
Anger.
Harsh words.
Bitterness that smells worse than the ditch water behind the barn.
Other folks spill junk.
Gossip.
Complaining.
Criticism.
The kind of talk that’s about as nourishing as the stale crackers I once stole from the pantry.
But every once in a while…
You run into someone who spills something different.
Faith.
Hope.
Grace.
Love.
Freshwater.
Words that cool a hot situation.
Encouragement that lifts a tired soul.
Kindness that washes over a hurting heart.
Those are the folks who have been spending time at the source.
Jesus once told a woman at a well that He gives living water—the kind that bubbles up inside a person and keeps flowing out.
Now I’m just an old lazy dog, but I’ve noticed something.
When my bowl is filled with fresh water, that’s what splashes on the floor when I bump it.
But if the bowl is full of muddy puddle water I’ve been playing in… well… that’s what makes the mess.
Same bowl.
Different contents.
So maybe the real question isn’t what spills out of us when life bumps us.
The real question is…
What are we filling our hearts with?
Because sooner or later, life is going to tip the bucket.
And when it does…
Whatever is inside is what the world is going to smell.
So today might be a good day to sit beside the well with Jesus and let Him refill the bowl.
Fresh.
Clean.
Overflowing with faith and hope and love..
And maybe—just maybe—when life bumps into us…
What spills out will be something that refreshes everybody around us.
Even old dogs like me.
Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
