My Cup Overflows

Have you ever heard of the saying, “ Don't cry over spilled milk”? I'm betting you have...but what does it mean? People use it to say 'don't waste your time over something so small that can't even be undone.' But could it mean more than that? If we take a religious outlook on this phrase, it means more than just avoiding a waste of time – it turns everything around.

Let's take the spilled milk situation literally for a moment. There are two ways to see this situation: 1) As a pain and a loss 2) As a reminder of a blessing. The first is quite easy to see – a glass of milk spilled and now there isn't as much left and someone's going to have to clean it up. Plus, milk costs money, and money takes a lot of hard work. But let's look at it the other way now: when that cup spilled, it was because there was something to be spilled. God provided you with that milk – whether by blessing you with a job, having someone give you charity, or any number of ways. Your milk spilled because your cup overflows. The reason you were able to spill your milk was because you were blessed in the first place. That spilled milk is a reminder of the good. It's hard to see that sometimes, but it's true just the same. And this can be applied to anything.

• A broken leg – you have a leg
• Death – you were given life
• House fire – you were given a house
• Losing a loved one – you were given love and time with that person
• Tears – you were given emotions

The list is endless.

Sometimes bad things happen and we find ourselves focusing on the bad rather than the good. It's so easy to forget about the good. The bad seems to hang in the air while the good seems fleeting. But it doesn't have to be that way. It all starts with our attitudes. For example, think about the cup half-empty or cup half-full saying. It sounds ridiculous – but it's so true. There are two ways to view every situation – you can see the glass as half-empty, thinking negatively that you want more, or you can see it as half-full, thinking positively that you are happy for what you have. It's so easy to forget all the blessings.

Along the same lines, our language is huge in affecting how we and others see situations. For example, rather than saying, “I have to go to school,” it is infinitely better to say, “I get to go to school.” Although school may not be your favorite place on earth, it is a huge blessing that many people are not fortunate enough to have.

So today I leave you with this challenge: Don't lose your optimism. Remember that it gets brighter after every storm, and never forget what it was like before the storm. And don't cry over spilled milk – because it's really a reminder that your cup overflows!

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff comfort me.
You set a table before me
in front of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows."
- Psalm 23: 4-5