There's an incessant pressure to always be producing, growing, and receiving.
Do you feel it? Or is that just me?
I used to joke that it was because I'm the middle of seven kids. Scrambling for attention, competing for approval, and fighting the siblings for more dessert are just natural parts of having a big family.
But the reality is that we all feel it, no matter how we grew up. And although we've been told to see our lives as if the glass is half-full instead of half-empty, it doesn't change the fact that there always seems to be room for more.
Because if there is room for more—
more time to produce, room to gain, opportunity to advance—
it just feels like a waste to leave that glass only half-full.
Now, I am a slow-paced person at heart. But my soul has been fed the illusion of success by means of production and efficiency —not the artisan craft my deepest heart is naturally drawn to.
But after having a year of rest and slow movement, I've realized that something needs to change.
I need a smaller cup.
A simpler way of living.
A slower pace.
A life that only holds the essential, precious things I need.
This way of living cultivates a heart that seeks after the things that last beyond this life.
And that might mean saying "no" to the things we used to make room for.
Like prioritizing mental health over achievements.
Or living a simple lifestyle instead of hustling for more.
Or choosing to love others as they are —imperfect: flaws and all.
It's a choice we must make each morning.
Before our feet hit the ground, before we make our to-do lists for the day, before we pick up our expectations, we must choose the smaller cup.
The irony is that doesn't mean that we are getting less. It doesn't mean that we are poor, or less than, or unproductive.
This cup, this life, this prayer is for us to trust that even when it looks like we should be grasping for more, we know God has already provided everything we need. It's the cup that overflows with enough —enough love, enough provision, enough rest and movement to satisfy our thirsty hearts.
A smaller, slower life that walks in step with the heart and pace of God the Father —the one who always satisfies.
"The Lord is my shepherd.
I will always have everything I need.
He gives me green pastures to lie in.
He leads me by calm pools of water.
He restores my strength.
You prepared a meal for me in front of my enemies.
You welcomed me as an honored guest.
My cup is full and spilling over.
Your goodness and mercy will be with me all my life,
and I will live in the Lord’s house a long, long time."
Psalm 23:1-2, 5-6
The world calls it wasteful when we're not seeking ways to fill our half-empty cups. But today, let us choose the smaller cup, and be reminded that when we see our lives through eyes of contentment, we taste enough to overflow and satisfy our every need.