There was an article in my local paper today that talked about a pastor who, for the second year in a row, has decided to give away free gas. Anyone who wants a free gas tank fill can stop by the designated station. No questions asked. Last year he raised $5,000 for this effort; this year it’s up to $15,000.
Isn’t that a wonderful idea? Who wouldn’t appreciate a full tank of gas, especially with prices still higher than most of us would like?
Ironically, that was about the third “gas tank” idea that crossed my mind in the past few days, and you know what that means. I’m gonna have to write about tanks!
This one’s not much of a stretch, however. How many times haven’t we either said or heard the statement, “My tank’s just empty right now?” Or is that just me?
There’s so much that can drain us of our energy. Family troubles, work issues, disappointments, health challenges, on-going trauma, loneliness, relational conflicts, physical, spiritual or emotional abuse, losses of any kind. The list is essentially endless.
We might not be able to define it succinctly, but we know when our tank is sitting on empty, don’t we?
The question becomes, “How does it get filled up again, and who or what is responsible for that?”
In short, we are responsible for filling up our tanks. We can’t always put that responsibility on others, in part because their tank might also be edging closer to the “E.”
That might be the short answer, but there’s much more depth to this issue that I want to flesh out a bit.
I don’t want to spend any more time on what situations might drain our tanks. I want to look more specifically at the ways we can fill them back up.
As I mentioned, that’s primarily our own responsibiliy. But I also know how hard it is to actually move forward in a positive way to start the filling process.
Speaking from my own experience, when I’m sitting on empty, the only successful way I’ve started moving off “E” is to first have a conversation with God. I pour out my heart to him and tell him about all the situations or circumstances or people who have drained me. Of course, he knows all of this already, but there’s something cathartic about laying it all out before him.
Then, even though this is my responsibility, I find myself asking God to send someone or some blessing into my life to help kickstart this process.
Sometimes God, in his mercy, does exactly that. A dear friend might call to chat. I might get a sweet note in the mail. I might have an encouraging response to a recent blog post. Any small act of kindness can be the catalyst that helps me get up off the literal or figurative couch and start living life again.
While we can always know God is merciful, he doesn’t always send that ray of sunshine into our lives.
That’s why the ultimate answer lies within ourselves, and how God helps work through us.
The answer I’m going to share with you is not rocket science. My guess is that each and every one of you already know this. So my purpose is to remind you and encourage you as you crawl out of your pit towards the “gas station.”
The very best way to start filling your tank is to do something kind for someone else. You know this, don’t you? You’ve probably even lived the benefits of it. I know I have, and yet I still find myself on empty more than I’d like.
There are tons of psychological reasons for why this is so effective. None of which I’m delving deep into. Just this morning, there was a news piece done about a college class with many students who struggled with anxiety and panic attacks. Their assignment was to do x number of kind acts throughout each day. Even something as simple as leaving post-it notes with encouraging words around campus. Or complimenting a stranger on their fun shoes.
The results were pretty amazing. The students reported feeling fewer and fewer attacks and instead feeling like they had a purpose. They loved the idea of brightening someone else’s day. The effects lasted long past the end of that class. It became a lifestyle for the students. Great story.
While I absolutely believe in the intrinsic value of extending kindness to others, as believers these kind acts can have a much deeper meaning – and source. As it says in Ephesians 2:6-10:
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
I absolutely love the picture of someone needing a kindness, and God sending us directly into the person’s life.
Whether you know the outcome, or only find out in Heaven, we can trust a good God to use us as blessings to others.
God uses us and our friends to be mutually beneficial to each other. Or even a stranger amongst us!
I’m not sure there’s a better way to fill up our empty tanks!
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
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