The Law of the Spill

When you are bumped you spill whatever is inside you….

Jim Herrington, who is the Team Director for Mission Houston, shared that wisdom with me recently (and I promised to give him credit the first time I used it).

When you are bumped you spill whatever is inside you…

I get bumped a lot – most of us do.  Some of the bumps are intentional; many are unintentional.  Criticism, suggestions, criticism disguised as suggestions – they all bump me.  Interruptions, changes to plans, poor communication and misunderstandings are other ways that I get bumped.  And when I’m bumped I spill what’s inside me – it isn’t always pretty.  Sometimes what spills out of me makes quite a mess and my “spills” almost always seem to splash on others.

Think of it as the Law of the Bump or the Law of the Spill (can’t decide which one I like better).  We will always spill whatever is inside.

So I’ve been paying attention to what spills out of me when I get bumped.  It’s lead me to work on what’s inside.  I’m discovering that just by being aware of my “spills” I am filling myself with better things.  The Apostle Paul called them those things that are pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).

You will probably get “bumped” today.  Pay attention to what spills.