The Peak of Inspiration

Life is a succession of moments.  Some good, some bad.  Every moment carries a value, be it small or large, positive or negative.  The sum total of what these moments add to our lives determines whether our life is rich or poor.  This value is paid out immediately, in the moment.  There are no back payments, or payments in advance.  No borrowing or lending.  I cannot use a moment that you experienced and apply it to my life.   It’s a very personal thing.  My moments enrich or deplete my life.  Yours affect you.  

Our hearts are a little like sponges.  When water is poured over a sponge it disappears, is soaked up.  Keep pouring, and the sponge will reach its holding capacity, and will begin to overflow.  Leave it alone, and the water will evaporate, become a vapor and disappear.  The heart, like the sponge, needs a frequent soaking to remain full. 

We experience a thousand moments a day.  Technically, every second is a moment.  But I’m talking about moments that have significance.  That have the potential to alter the course of the day.  Moments that can fill us.  Moments that can dry us out.  Many times, the choice is ours.  If our heart is there, it will soak up what those moments give out.  If our heart is not there, if it isn’t invested in the moment, the value of that moment will drain out onto the ground.  Wasted.  It’s a curious thing, but my heart can be at a different place than my body. 

I’ll tell you about a couple moments to explain my point.  This first one, I’ve experienced on four different occasions.  This last one just a few months ago.  It’s a simple thing really.  But I can guarantee you that if your heart is where it should be, these kinds of moments will fill you.  Your heart will swell up.  You’ll feel a little extra pressure in your chest.  Your eyes might even water.  That’s nothing to worry about.  It’s just a sign the sponge is full to capacity. 

Learning to ride a bike is a process.  It takes guidance and encouragement.  It takes patience.  A little trial and error to know when the training wheels should come off.  Then more words of affirmation.  Running behind with a hand on the back of the seat to keep the operation upright.  But that moment comes.  You realize that you can let go, that your little boy has this.  And then the look on their face when they realize you are no longer helping them.  The training wheels are gone, dad has stopped holding them up.  And they are flying.  That moment is awesome.  And I’m afraid there are dads in this world that have dry hearts because they were not there. 

I run a service based business.  Over the years I have taken many checks to the bank.  And while the money is absolutely necessary to keep things going, I cannot say that depositing those checks has ever filled my heart.  But I can say that the days when I put my heart into my work, do my best, and approach my job with a selfless, servant attitude, I go home full.  Blessed and satisfied. 

Sometimes a full heart is the result of someone pouring their love into ours.   A couple of days after my dad passed away, some friends brought a meal to the house for our family.   One of dad’s friends shook my hand and offered his condolences.  He held onto my hand a little longer than normal, and our hands became a pipe from his heart to mine.  My heart swelled up, full to the brim with what he had in his. 

It all can seem easy.  I can tell you it’s not.  Our hearts like to wander.  They get lost.  They aren’t always where they should be.  Sometimes they miss the blessing these moments pour out because they are someplace else.   But if you want a full heart, one that does not want for water and has plenty to give to others, you’ll need to guard it.  Keep it from wandering.  Keep it close to those moments.  Let them fill it and make it overflow to others. 

Put your heart into it.  The bedtime stories and the bikerides.  The fishing trips and evenings around the fire.  The daily chores and the birthday parties.  The Christmas gatherings and church services.  These moments have a gift for you.  Be there and claim it.