Impossible

It is impossible to put out a fire with an empty bucket. There is no way around that. It is impossible.

Everyday, each of us is faced with many fires that we must attend to. Some are little; some are big. Sometimes they start out small and grow into huge forest fires. For most of us, the fires are usually easily managed, because they are fires that we are well equipped to handle. For example, we know how to deal with poor drivers on the road, children who seem to talk non-stop and when there isn’t quite enough cash to buy what we really would like to have. These fires aren’t too difficult to deal with. We use some of the water in our buckets, we adapt, and we move on.

Sometimes the fires in our lives get WAY out of control, and we do everything that we know to do to put it out, but sometimes we just don’t have what it takes for the flames to diminish. Once we exhaust all of our options, we feel helpless because our bucket is empty in spite of the fact that flames are still raging around us. We ask ourselves, “Now what am I supposed to do?” The answer to this question goes back to my original statement, “It is impossible to put out a fire with an empty bucket.”

In recent days, I have been forced to address this issue in my own life. My bucket is empty, and I am still trying to put out fires, knowing full well that I am not equipped to handle this particular fire, and as a result, I am going to get burned. So, my focus must change. My focus has to change from how to fight the fire, to how to get my bucket refilled.

I learned a long time ago that seeking God is the only way to get what we really need. So, all I really know to do is to seek God’s wisdom and grace. I have been reminded that God is the only way to get my bucket refilled. I need to talk to Him about it. I need to surround myself with His people. I need to dive into His Word. I need to be quiet and still. I need to have open eyes and be willing to go WHEREVER He leads me. God will lead me to the place that I need to be to get my bucket filled so that I can keep on fighting all the fires in my life…. and I might be quite surprised to find out where that place is. I need to trust Him.

I am thankful for a loving husband and great friends. I am thankful that they have shared a bit of their water with me to help put out the current fire in my life. I am thankful that I never have to fight fires alone because of God’s gift to the world.

You can’t fight fires with an empty bucket…. But God’s love will fill every empty bucket if we seek Him and allow Him to work in our lives.