An Empty Cup
- Adrian Espinosa
- Oct 6, 2022
- 3 min read

Recently I was inspired to bring a cup full of mints to my classroom. I thought it would be a nice gesture for my students to have a little treat throughout the day and to keep my own breath smelling fresh.
The first day I had bought a small bag of mints and thought that it would last a few days. 4-5 hours later my cup was empty and my entire bag of mints had disappeared. Then my students began asking for more.
So after work I went to the store to buy 3 more bags. I thought this would last longer. Nope, my cup was empty and my source was gone.
As silly as it sounds, I was frustrated. I bought 4 whole bags and these kids ate them faster than I could buy them.I wasn’t even able to get more than one! Then after a few days of not buying more they began to demand these mints like I owed them mints! After some time I started thinking of them as ungrateful and needy for what I was generously giving to them. This was for them, but part of this is mine too! I eventually bought an enormous bag of mints and it supplied me and my students with more than enough.
After all the requests and complaints of my lack of mints, I began to see that God was trying to speak to me:
Oftentimes we think to ourselves as Christians, that we are a cup full of God for people to take from and receive from. Which is true to an extent, we are vessels of the Lord. However, if we are not filling our cup constantly for ourselves we are left empty of what we need to not only be sustained but to overflow. It's the our own spiritual neglect that leads to the end of our overflow and leaves those in need of the power of God hungry and empty.
I realized that in my own life I had been doing this with Jesus. When a homeless individual would ask for help, I would usually only help when I was prepared. When someone needed prayer, I would only offer if I had spent time in the word. I was neglecting my own relationship with God and in doing so I was unprepared for those that needed the overflow of my personal relationship with God. I needed to change, so I did.
I prayed to the Lord and repented of my spiritual neglect and He answered with encouragement and a challenge. I felt Him say, “be as disciplined with your spiritual life, as you are with other parts of your life”. So that’s what I have been doing, not to meet a standard, but because I want to spend more time with the one that makes my life worth living. It isn't easy, but it is worth every second that I take out of the day to dedicate to Him.
Our relationship with God isn’t to sustain others, it’s to sustain and overflow in us. So if you are feeling empty, dry, or burnt out, don’t despair. You aren’t alone and you don’t have to be. If you are empty, remember your emptiness isn’t because of your lack of worth or of you being a “bad Christian” but rather because you need to take care of yourself.
I challenge you today and everyday, when you have an opportunity to spend time with God, take it! Also do it in a variety of ways that may be new to you and enjoy them in the moment. Be led by the Holy Spirit on how you are to encounter Him. That way when others come to you, in need of the power of God in you, you have enough for you and them.

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