Dirty Dishes & Overflowing Pots
Table Talk
Setting the Table
You are welcome here. Come just as you are, bringing whatever is on your heart today. Take a few moments and allow yourself to just be. Take a couple of deep breaths, grab yourself a cup of coffee, light a candle, do something that brings you comfort. Allow yourself to be present in this moment.
Consider a cup that is filled to the brim. Now imagine pouring more into the cup and watching as the cup slowly overflows.
“When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.”
- G.K. Chesterton
“Demonstrate gratitude for the simple things in life…a sunset, rain, insects, birds, children laughing, or a kind gesture.... Appreciative people are happy; they see the beauty in life while others miss it.”
- Richard Carlson, Celebrate Your Child: The Art of Happy Parenting
Food for Thought
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being “overflowing with gratitude” and 1 being, “I feel like I have nothing for which to be grateful,” how grateful are you feeling today? Having an attitude of gratitude is crucial to having a contented and joyful life because, as Annette Bridges says, “Gratitude helps us see what’s there rather than what isn’t.”
Recently while I was washing the dishes after dinner, I kept putting the dirty dishes on the right side of the sink so they would fill with water and become easier to wash. Looking down at the pots in the sink, I watched how, once they were full, water just spilled over the side into the pot or dish below them. There was always more water coming than a pot could hold. I kept emptying the pot and putting it back and watching how it kept on filling and it struck me that gratitude is like that. God gives us more blessings than we can contain and the way we make room to receive more is by giving thanks, offering praise, and pouring out the love, compassion, and blessings God has given us.
This imagery of gratitude and blessing has been helpful to me recently. On September 15th, my father died at the age of 91. On the one hand, I’m sad and will miss my father’s presence. You may feel similarly about the people you’ve loved and lost. But, on the other hand, I choose to look back with gratitude for all the happy memories I have of him and all I learned and want to remember, and I’m thankful for those times.
So much of how we respond to life and feel about life comes down to our perspective. Some people see their cup as half full, some as half empty, and then there are those who are grateful they have a cup at all. Just like it’s important to pray when you find it hardest to pray, there is benefit to focusing on gratitude when it’s hardest to be grateful – like when you’re grieving, or in physical pain, or facing a challenging situation. When we choose to look at, focus on, and be grateful for the good things in our life, we’ll find so many reasons for giving thanks that even in our hardship, we will be overflowing with gratitude, like a pot that can’t contain all the water flowing into it.
A group of students was studying the "Seven Wonders of the World." At the end of the lesson, the students were asked to list what they considered to be the seven wonders. Students said things like the Great Wall of China, the pyramids of Giza, the Eiffel Tower, and other things human beings have built. The teacher noted that one student hadn't turned in her paper yet. She asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many!" The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help." The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the 'Seven Wonders of the World' are: to touch, to taste, to see, to hear." She hesitated a little, "and then, to run, to laugh, to love."
It is easy for us to look at the exploits of human beings and refer to them as "wonders" while we overlook all God has created and made possible as merely "ordinary." Remind yourself each day that all around you is overflowing with miracles and wonders. From the beauty found in creation, to the memories of lost loved ones, to the love we receive and cherish from one another, to the reminders of provision and gratitude we receive from dirty dishes and overflowing pots.
Our lives are filled with blessings. As we move through the difficulties of our days, may our hearts turn toward the everyday moments of these blessings and remind us to be ever grateful.
What imagery comes to mind when you think about gratitude? Is it like a pot overflowing with water, a big burst of rosy light, a serene meadow, etc.?
Check in with yourself. Using a scale of 1-10, rate your level of gratitude today. Perhaps you could incorporate practices like a gratitude journal, then check back in a few days, weeks, months, or a year from now.
For a printable version of today's reflection Click Here!
If you are looking for a few ideas to create a more welcoming space this holiday season, here are Five Things to Remember When Setting a Welcome Table for the Holidays.
Blessing
Loving God,
Thank you for all the ways that you bless our lives, big and small – from the memories of loved ones passed, to the food that dirties up our dishes. Help us to recognize all that we have to be grateful for, and help us allow that gratitude to fill us up so much so that it overflows into the hearts of those around us.
Amen.
A little Table Talk for your table...
Share with a friend what you feel your gratitude level is today and why.
Now take turns listing things you have to be grateful for on this day alone. Challenge yourself to list at least five things, then keep going! Check back in with each other – has your gratitude level changed?
Sometimes it can feel really hard to be grateful. If this is you today, that’s ok. Share with someone you trust why this might be.
Try taking it to the Kids Table...
Ask your kiddos what their gratitude level is today.
Help them list five things for which they are grateful.
Ask the children in your life what imagery comes to mind when they think about gratitude – their answers are bound to be priceless!
Meet Our Welcoming Voice!
Doug Scalise was born in Boston and raised in Brookline, MA. He earned his Doctor of Ministry degree in Preaching from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary and has been serving at Brewster Baptist Church since 1995. Doug and his wife, Jill, have two grown sons, and outside of BBC, Doug enjoys watching the Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins, and Celtics, reading good books, going for long walks with Jill, and spending time with family and friends.
To hear more from Doug throughout the week, follow along on our Instagram!