“A cup is a container for holding something. Whatever it holds has to eventually be emptied out so that something more can be put into it. I have learned that I cannot always expect my life to be full. There has to be some emptying, some pouring out, if I am to make room for the new. The spiritual journey is like that – a constant process of emptying and filling, of giving and receiving, of accepting and letting go.”
–From The Cup of Our Life by Joyce Rupp
I look forward to our time in Malawi with great anticipation and excitement. I know that it will be a time of filling and receiving. But that means that now there must be some emptying and giving. In order to make room for new friends and new experiences and new challenges, I will have to say good-bye (for a season) to family and friends, experiences and challenges here. I know that all the people here go with me in prayer and in my heart, but there is a reality of loss, grief and separation that I can’t deny. Although I have put it off as long as I can.
Now sharing dinner with amazing women, running into friends at the coffee shop, planning visits home to see family, and impromptu gatherings with friends feels especially precious because a countdown has begun in my head. How many more Tuesday nights? How many more coffees? How many more dinners at La Terazza? How many more days in Fort Wayne? How many more sleepovers for Claire Marin?
So I feel keenly my life as the cup of life that Joyce Rupp describes. At this stage on my spiritual journey there is some emptying in preparation for the filling that God will do. My prayer is that I savor every drop in the cup. That as I leave friends and family here I might pour out love with generosity and joy. And that I will receive the new blessings with equal passion and grace.
