They say ‘adulting is hard.’
And it is.
Add to adulting, a nice thick layer of ‘entrepreneuring’ …..
Yikes!!!
A YouTuber artist recently stated….
In 2021, she was only going to give from her saucer. What she meant by that was, she was going to be mindful of keeping her cup full and give from the overflow of her cup which landed in her saucer.
I know you know what it feels like to attempt to give from an empty cup; from a place of complete burnout. I’ve done this more times than I can even count.
Something about what she said caused me to take a very L O N G pause. At first, it seemed selfish. But then it occurred to me, there are so many things associated with keeping our cup so full it overflows.
First, it’s my sole responsibility to keep my cup full and overflowing. I have to keep it full on purpose. It doesn’t happen by accident. To give from my saucer is the most loving and kind thing I can do in life.
To keep our cups full to overflowing, we have to:
- Surround ourselves with people who joyfully and freely (no strings attached) fill our cup.
- Be self-aware enough to notice when the cup isn’t full
- Be intentional with (place on our calendar) the activities which fill our cup.
- Pray.
- Read the Word.
- Make hard decisions about cutting out that which depletes us.
There are so many things I love about the ‘overflowing cup and saucer’ illustration! But I mostly love this…..
to give from my saucer means WHAT I GIVE is so much sweeter.
Why you ask?
Because when my heart is full of joy, peace and love from a full cup, I have so much more joy, peace and love to give. Galations 5:22 lists joy as a fruit of the spirit and not only that, the Passion Translation (see below) reads like this: “joy that overflows.”
When I give from an empty cup (or a place of burnout), what I give is superficial.
How could it not be? There’s zero joy associated with an empty cup.
So, let’s be transparent for a second. Entrepreneuring is the same as pouring your cup out everyday and then working to keep it filled. Am I right?
Not easy.
But I KNOW God called very special people to be entrepreneurs. And if He called you, He has the things and people to fill your cup to overflowing.
Who’s with me to make it a priority to find what God is using to fill our cups to overflowing?
My prayer for you, my entrepreneurial friend….
Abba Father,
Today, I pray for my friends who are reading this. You know everything about their cups and saucers. You know who and what refreshes them and depletes them. So today I ask that You make a few things just a little easier on them. I pray that if there’s something that’s been placed in front of them as a distraction to deplete them, you remove it without it being a huge task on their part. Help them see their life as better without it. I also pray for who and what is supposed to fill their cup to overflowing. I pray it comes to them in abundance! I pray that once they experience giving from their saucer that they will NEVER allow their cup to be anything but overflowing. I pray all of this in Your Heavenly name and for Your glory alone. Amen.
In case you need a few scriptures about refreshing, here you go…..
Galatians 5:22-23
“But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions: joy that overflows, peace that subdues, patience that endures, kindness in action, a life full of virtue, faith that prevails, gentleness of heart, and strength of spirit. Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.”
Galatians 5:22-23 TPT
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Psalm 23:1-3 NIV
…. you refreshed your weary inheritance
Psalm 68:9 NIV
…. whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
Provers 11:25 NIV
I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.
Jeremiah 31:25 NIV
Warmest Regards,
Jennifer Edwards
Striving For a Forever Messy Saucer