Imagine you're walking with a cup of hot tea. Suddenly, someone bumps into you and—oops!—the tea spills out. Now, most of us would say the tea spilled because someone bumped us. But think a little deeper. The real reason tea spilled is because tea was inside the cup. If water or coffee had been inside, that’s what would have spilled. The bump just revealed what was already inside. And guess what? The same thing happens with us in real life.
We are all carrying our own “cups” inside—full of thoughts, feelings and emotions. Life bumps into us in many ways: someone cuts us off in traffic, a friend forgets our birthday or things don’t go as planned. But when we get bumped, what spills out? Is it anger? Sadness? Bitterness? Or is it calmness, kindness and understanding? The truth is, we spill what we’ve already filled ourselves with. If anger or frustration spills out, it’s because it was already inside us. Life just gave it a little shake. The bump only revealed what was already inside.
Sometimes we say things like, “He made me angry,” or “She ruined my day.” But if anger or frustration spills out, it’s because it was already inside us. Life just gave it a little shake. If we are full of peace, patience and joy, then no matter who or what bumps us, that’s what will spill out. It’s not about the bump. It’s always about what’s inside. But we blame the bump, not the content.
That’s why it’s so important to check what we are filling ourselves with every day. The Bible also speaks clearly about this in Mark 7:20–22, “it says that what comes out of a person is what truly makes them unclean.”
So, what’s inside your cup? Is it gratitude or complaints? Joy or jealousy? Hope or hopelessness? We don’t have to wait for life to shake us to find out. We can start filling our cups with better things right now. Let’s choose to fill our hearts with thankfulness, our minds with positive thoughts and our souls with faith in the Almighty. Let’s forgive often, love deeply and laugh freely. Life will always have bumps—big and small. But if we fill ourselves with the right ingredients, we’ll spill out something beautiful every time. Remember, you are not what happens to you. You are what comes out of you. So be a walking cup of joy—and spill wisely!
