My Lesson in Emotional Provision

"And my God will supply all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

There is an illustration that Beth Moore uses in one of her Bible studies that has spoken to me over the years. She uses a glass pitcher and stones. In an effort to demonstrate how we so often look to people to 'fill us up', she places the stones inside the glass pitcher. Each stone is a symbol of a compliment, encouraging word, act of kindness, or anything else another person could bless us with. I don't know about you, but people toss such 'stones' my way all day long. Still, at the end of the day, the stones would reach the top of the pitcher, but through the glass pitcher you can see that there is still a whole lot of unfilled space between the stones.

Isn't that what we do so often. We are looking to other people to fill our cup when no human being is capable of filling it. And, by the way, they weren't meant to fill it. We were always meant to find fullness in Him. God CAN supply everything we need to be whole in Him. Not only that... He WANTS to do it.

The second part of the illustration is very enlightening. Beth filled the glass pitcher to the very top with water. The water symbolized a filling of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. After that filling, there's NO unfilled space in the pitcher! Therefore, when a stone (still symbolizing things we get from others) is tossed into the pitcher, the water splashes out. THAT is what I was created for... To be so COMPLETE in Him that I don't NEED from others. But, when the compliments, encouraging words and acts of kindness come, the love of Jesus within me splashes out onto whoever gave it.

I love that illustration. This is one of the concepts that our therapists spoke a lot about during our week in Branson as well. I believe this is the reason that Scotty and I are experiencing closeness in our marriage like we've never experienced before. Each and every day, we are pursuing God first. In the position we are in, there IS NO person that could minister to us in the way we need it. Maybe that's why James tells us to consider it joy when we face trials. We truly find God at our points of deepest need. Atleast for me, I had to find myself in a place of complete brokenness to look ONLY to Him to put me back together. And, in that pursuit of the same Person and the same goal, Scotty and I
are in a place that amazes me. I told him on our date Saturday night that if I was able to choose to take away the infidelity and have our
marriage back the way it was, I would turn it down. Now I know what our marriage was intended to be, and I can't go back to the ways of
the past. Now, if I get to choose to have the relationship we have now WITHOUT the infidelity, well that's another story! :)

I wish I could tell you I have arrived. I wish that I didn't still find myself in places of feeling that I need something from someone else. If I can be honest (and why wouldn't I be now?), there are still a number of things that I feel I need from others involved in our story... Explanations, true apologies, truth, recognition of betrayal, and my list could go on and on. But, that logic is of the flesh. And, honestly, if I got all of that, my situation would be no different. So I must, once again, approach my Heavenly Father with everything I think I need and let Him meet those needs according to HIS riches in Christ Jesus. When all is said and done, that's what I really want anyway.

Thank you, Father, that YOU are always enough. And YOU are able and wanting to take care of ALL of my needs.