Are You A Sponge Or A Tall Glass Of Water?

Now I'm sure you've heard that phrase before, "a tall glass of water", in reference to a person's appearance but I need you to go a little deeper here.  Think of the sponge in this way: good for soaking up water; absorping water.  Think of the tall glass of water in this way: refreshing, thirst-quencher.  Now I need you to think of water in this way:  life-giving, energy.  In life people can fall into either of these categories: being sponges or being that tall glass of water.  Now, before you quickly jump to the negative side of being a sponge, it is important to understand that at some point in life we all need to have the ability to absorp what will benefit us, otherwise we dry up and become useless.  But sometimes we can allow ourselves to just be stuck in the mode where all we do is soak up, and that's not a positive.  Some of us soak up the life (that water, that energy) from others because we're never giving anything back.  We're never pouring anything back into the lives of others.  Shouldn't there come a time when we have something of ourselves to contribute to those around us or maybe even those we don't come in contact with daily?  Don't just think about money, what about our time?  Some of us have very limited income but we've been more than blessed with the ability to use our limbs to help someone.  Really listening to someone when they just need to talk, or encouraging someone goes a long way.  And shouldn't there come a point when after being in church listening to the minister every week FOR YEARS (and for some of us 2 or more times a week), that we don't require someone "preaching us happy" to move us to action?  Shouldn't there be something in us that has flourished enough over the years that if we never heard another sermon we could now pour into someone else?  If not, we need to really question what we believe or what we've been soaking up (mmmm...what are we soaking up?  Topic for another time...)

When you have learned how to be that "life giver", when you are a tall glass of water you can turn someone's horrible day into a day where they just feel a little bit lifted than when they got up out the bed that morning.  When you are a tall glass of water you know your purpose in life and you will effect the lives of those around you without trying.  But keep in mind that you best serve others when you remain true to your makeup.  Never feel like the only way you can make a difference is by being something that others want you to be.  Perhaps I may serve my water in a very colorful glass and you serve your water in a transparent glass.  Either way we're both giving water (life), the packaging is secondary.  Let's just commit to not being sponges.  Let's be that tall glass of water.