A dear reader sent me the below parable which I thought you might find instructive. Its origin is unknown.
You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you, making you spill your coffee everywhere.
Why did you spill the coffee? You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup.
Had there been tea in the cup, you would have spilled tea. The point being, that whatever is inside the cup is what will spill out.
So, when life comes along and shakes you, which will happen, whatever is inside you will come out.
It’s easy to fake it, until you get rattled.
So, it can be instructive to ask yourself, “What’s in my cup?” When life gets tough, what spills out? Is it joy, gratefulness, peace, and humility which appear? Or does anger, bitterness, harsh words, and negative reactions surface?
You choose!
For success today, fill your cup with gratitude, forgiveness, joy, words of affirmation, kindness, gentleness, and love for others, ahead of time. So, when life “bumps into you,” something good will come out of it.
Wow…great story and so simple and direct..
I love the way we can develop our spiritual sense to be sure that’s what’s in our cup when personal sense bumps our cup..
John I like the way you said, “when personal sense bumps our cup.” It’s good to remember that it is only personal sense, which is unreal, that can seem to bump our cup.
There are times when I “get rattled” as Evan put it, and negative thoughts and reactions spill out, but I’m grateful to see progress because it has been dissipating much more quickly. Because of time spent praying and studying and leaning on God (dwelling in the secret place of the Most High, seeing with spiritual sense), error’s tactics are more obvious and quicker to see through. Then the contents of my cup return to their natural harmonious state — filled with God qualities that were always there. Thanks and love to everyone!
Oh, Evan! I wish I had known this earlier. I was rattled today and, yikes! A negative reaction spilled out. Thank you (and your dear reader) for this most helpful parable. You can bet my choice of what spills out next time will be good. I love this so much! Thank you. ❤
GREAT idea! :- D
Sorry but I can’t help thinking of “My cup runneth over” AT least when it does run over, we can always try to be careful about what spills out. Does our cup run over with self pity, worry, or ego?…or does it OVERFLOW with “goodness and mercy” or patience or generosity? This also makes me mindful of the Japanese custom of bowing when you meet someone… it was explained to us that because they always aim to be respectful, bowing first allows that moment of hesitation in which you can decide whether to be angry or polite.. or simply to phrase what you were going to say in a better way rather than just walking up to people and blurting out what is on your mind …as Westerners do so often. VERY RARE to find spilt cups in Japan!
Thank you for sharing such awesome insights!
& am also enjoying:
‘Proclaim your Innocence’:
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/mofd9uaqkq?s=e
Really helpful article Angie. Thank you!
Angie thank you, this article is excellent and the truths within it are so clear and can be applied to any seemingly discordant situation. I was glad to be able to close my eyes and hear the author read her words by clicking on the listen icon.
As M says below. “We are always innocent of anything untrue.”
Awsome! So to the point and so true.
Linda
Brillant. thank you, Evan.
I tried to look in the SpiritView archives,
but I wasn’t successful, If I sent this before,I’m
sorry. It fits in wit Angie’s article.
I was going to Europe with friends, and
taking a 35 pound backpack.
A couple of days before I was to leave, I
needed to go to my daughters college
to pick up some of her things. She was in
class, so I have to go up and down
three floors by myself.
Getting in the car I had to lift a leg with
both hands. I called a practitioner and
the word I picked up on, was innocent.
I was healed instantly, because I had
been telling friends, if I’m ever
arrested for something I did not do,
I would tell the police, I will sit here until you
find the person who did it, because I am
innocent.
(I told my friends this because
of a high profile situation in the news.)
I had a successful day going to her college
a couple hours away, and a wonderful
backpacking trip.
We are always innocent of anything untrue.
Thank you M for another reminder of our innate innocence.
Here’s one more that came to thought, from Daniel 6:22, “My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before Him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.”
Thank you for sharing Evan. I will make it a practice to be aware of what I’m holding…What a powerful yet simple analogy.
I loved the analogy with what are we holding within ourselves- is it love or hate, compassion or indifference, peace or worry, etc. How important this is reminds me to fill up with the “3 Dailies” in our Manual so only I can hold spiritual qualities of God. Thank you Evan!
Wow. What a great one Evan. That got my attention big time, and I am taking it to school with me this morning. But first, gotta fill that cup.
Love it!!! Thank-you!!!
https://medium.com/swlh/the-orange-story-8cb9af94e5ad
Thanks Kirsten, good article reinforcing same point that we are discussing here, as explained by Dr. Wayne Dyer and by the writer of the article. True ideas can be found in many places.
“My cup runneth over…” with…!! What a helpful analogy. Thank you!
I like it that I have a very simple choice between two options at any given moment: love or fear. From a figurative cup all that can spill out is love or fear. Humanly, the only thought, emotion, expression, or action/inaction that can result is love or fear. In the absolute spiritual reality and actual truth, the only thing that can exist is love because fear is impossible and unreal, lacking cause or affect.
When I respond with love or I’m trusting that God is loving me and all of nature teaches God‘s love for each and everyone of us because everyone of us on the planet belongs and has our own contribution, gift and grace, then I am feeling trusting and open. When I scare myself with untrue stories about myself and others, then I would become closed-minded and closed-hearted and closed-fisted, projecting my fear fantasies and then rejecting or punishing others that I am not seeing clearly.
When I trust God’s love making “each and every detail of each and every person and each and every situation and even each and every sensation exactly, precisely perfect with the lessons and blessings I need for my individualized growth in grace — self-knowledge, humility, love, and good deeds — to live a life rich with wisdom, economy, and brotherly love”… I’m eagerly curious and grateful. I’m more apt to give people grace and gracefully handle whatever they do or don’t because it’s an opportunity for me to practice Christian Science.
There’s no such thing as an enemy. They are each helpers helping me pray and love better. They are each a gift from God to grow me in my spiritual reasoning and right acting. They are each an enriching opportunity for me to practice forgiveness and healing. If they jostle me and I spill, if my clumsy reaction makes a mess, then they help me recognize what I’m carrying around, and if it’s the wrong stuff, they remind me to get a grip, keep my balance, and they are a helpful reminder to let that go and fill up with the right contents for my thought and heart. Don’t carry anything that would stain or burn or poison or harm. Carry what is pure and helpful and life-giving that doesn’t stain or scar or harm.
When I see someone else seem to spill or throw fear from their “cup” if life stories/beliefs/exoeriences, it makes my heart go out to them with compassion and empathy because I’ve been afraid at different times and it does not feel good and right.
When we are scared, we cannot think and act rightly, we’re not in our right mind. We cannot act true to our self. And so I recognize the signs and symptoms of fear as a call to me to love them more. To prayerfully and humanely defend their safety and innocence.
So what are the signs and symptoms of fear that teach me to love more deeply? In nature non-humans and humans react to the belief that they are in danger, through any of the following: silently freeze, camouflage, bluff, appease/please, distract, fawn, flee, fight, go limp… Or tend and befriend, unite and warn and protect, comfort and care for, teach. Trees self-sacrifice and send out chemical warnings through the air and through the soil and mycelium networks. Small birds flock and chase a hawk. Ravens make a ruckus and drop items to distract the enemy of the wolves helping the ravens get food. A badger nursed a lost human infant she protected by pulling into the safe burrow, etc.
The US military knows that people will respond with love and risk their lives to rush to the scene to help strangers who have been injured by explosives, when they know US helicopters or drones will aim at them also. Because when we choose love instead of fear, It empowers us with a confidence and a clarity so we can better hear God and feel God’s presence and protection and peace. Love is the basis of strong communities and (gift/grace) economies. Choosing love makes the pain and rejection and material loss worth it. Love heals every disease and injury and injustice— individually, interpersonally, socially, systemically, economically, environmentally. That is why the worldwide network of worse and worse torture and the ever worsening weaponry and surveillance and police/prison/slavery industry is powerless against individuals and communities who stay conscious of and act true to love. That is why American political prisoners who have been in solitary confinement for over 40 years etc. have been able to withstand everything intended to destroy them. They become more and more articulate with the integrity of love. Journalists and scientists become more and more courageous and clear in communicating truths that call us to love. Even when they know the governments and corporations are targeting heroic lovers of truth, peace and justice activists, environmental justice activists, regenerative economy creators, the prophets and healers we need, who carry and share regenerating cups full of love/integrity. We can carry and share love cups, ever refilling them from the infinite Source.
And when I holler/haul around the wrong stuff, I can dump it out where it can do no harm, clean it out, and replace it with the right and good, replace fear was love.
Oh, Edith. I do hope you are contributing articles to the periodicals as well as to this blog. I especially appreciate your paragraph that starts: “There’s no such thing as an enemy. They are each helpers helping me pray and love better. They are each a gift from God to grow me in my spiritual reasoning and right acting.” A reminder for me when hearing about the many things in the news, etc.
My grandmother always said “You stew in your own juices” Meaning-your thoughts are the “stew” of your life. If they are fear, anger, envy, hate, sadness, revenge, regret, that is not a very good
recipe to have in your kitchen. But if your stew contains the healthful and wholesome ingredients,
such as love, purity, unselfishness ,kindness, gratitude and joy, what a healthful meal that is. And
people will flock to your door to share it.
Love that!
Every day, every way…let God fill your cup. I can do that! I love this post! And every single one! Thank you Evan!!
What a blessing reading this today! Thanks to you all and especially to Evan who keeps us looking in the right direction ❣️
I like the simpleness of this. Yes, the preparation before an event counts. ceaseless prayer.
Thanks Evan…:)
Love this analogy. And it really does seem to be what happens. Circumstantial challenges seem to call ones character out, what they are holding in thought. Great way to reinforce the idea of making sure ones thought is filled with Truth and Love as Mrs. Eddy states in Prose works, so sin disease and death cannot enter them. One does not want to spill out the black hue of sin disease and death when their “cup” gets rattled, but what a joy it would be to see spilled out the transparency to Truth and Love’s hues. Hues like selflessness, integrity, poise, spiritual composure, humility, slow to wrath, with infinite patience.
Evan, thank you for your message today (and always).
I have been working on a reading for next Wednesday on Thought and your blog fit right in with Jesus’ response in Mark 7:21-23 regarding the defiled unwashed hands.
“21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
Talk about spilling out of your cup. When our “within” is full of our likeness to God’s good being, all those evil things have no place and so cannot spill out. Thank you again for your posting and for all the comments. May all your cups be filled to the overflowing with GOOD!!
Yes, I must be aware of what fills my cup. Gratitude for sure. Working on the whole picture. Many thanks,.
Amen, Amen. Thanks all.
May everyone bump into me as many times as it takes until my cup is empty of those contents, for we do not pour old wine into new vessels. Also, I don’t wipe up a spill and squeeze the contents of the rag back into my cup. Also, sometimes there’s too much sugar in my cup, sometimes there’s no sugar. Alas, I strive to hold my cup steady, aware of my surroundings, but there’s always that one time I look away from my destination and WHAM!! Sometimes I trip over my own feet and spill my own cup. Good. Be gone any way.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4
Love this post, Evan – a real keeper! And what a wonderful conversation it has stimulated! Thank you, Evan and all.
this is beyond profound. wowwwwwww
This is such a good reminder to stand Porter at the door.
Thank you