“You deserve to be filled the same way you POUR.” Unknown
This weekend I had the opportunity to catch up with a friend who I hadn’t seen since the beginning of the pandemic. She had been on my mind for a couple of weeks, so I finally reached out and the very next morning we met for breakfast. As we ate, we laughed and caught up on life. She updated me on her children, we exchanged fond memories, talked about health challenges, goals and ambitions, praised GOD, and just downright fellowshipped. I was so happy that we’d reconnected. We picked up right where we left off…encouraging, praying, and POURING INTO each other’s lives. As I reminisced about our meeting, I was reminded of the importance of having quality friendSHIPS and relationSHIPS with people who POUR INTO our lives, the same way we POUR INTO theirs. In your relationSHIPS, are you being filled the same way you POUR? Or do you find yourself POURING more than you receive? I have a few that I DO!!! So for this week’s blog, let’s talk SHIP about the importance of surrounding ourselves with people that will POUR INTO our lives, the same way we POUR INTO theirs!!!
According to Webster’s dictionary, “POUR INTO” means “to give a lot of effort, money, or to help someone or something.” When we POUR INTO something or someone, like our relationSHIPS, we are making an effort. And if they are to be successful, they require that efforts be made by everyone involved. But unfortunately, some relationSHIPS are one-sided. Why? Because we’re in them with people who always take and never give. You know the type. The ones that we POUR INTO by listening to their stories, supporting their dreams, and business ideas, and praying for them but they NEVER POUR INTO us the same way. In relationSHIPS, if it feels like we are the only ones consistently making an effort, then we probably are. We have to stop waiting for people to give back something they are unwilling to give. If we discover that we are not being filled the way we POUR, maybe we need to consider making some changes.
RelationSHIPS aren’t boomerangs, so it is unrealistic to expect that what we give will always come back to us. Yet within relationSHIPS, everyone deserves to be filled the way they POUR. We deserve the kind of love and support that will fill us up and help us grow. Having friendSHIPS and relationSHIPS with people that encourage and motivate us to thrive and grow are essential for our personal development. People who we can share our aspirations, disappointments, fears, and accomplishments with and who are genuinely concerned about our lives, POUR INTO us the same way we POUR INTO them.
Having breakfast with my friend made me realize how blessed I am to have a group of outstanding women that POUR INTO my life and who allow me to POUR INTO theirs. So, know that if we want healthier friendSHIPS and relationSHIPS, it’s attainable. All we have to do is be more selective of who we allow aboard our SHIPS. Once we realize that we deserve to be filled the same way we POUR, we’d only let people aboard that can and will POUR INTO US TOO!!
SHIP TALK: Are you being filled the same way you POUR?
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