If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you may have seen some other posts that refer to the title of the site, “Life Poured Out.” Click here to read “The rest of the story,” a post that includes several steps in my understanding of what it means to live life “poured out.”
One of the first encounters I had with the concept was when I was sharing with some classmates at Campus Crusade when I was 17. I used the illustration of lemonade… the purpose for creating a perfect class of lemonade is for it to be consumed. I was illustrating that God’s sanctifying work in our lives prepares us to be “poured out” for His use – much like the mixing of the lemonade.
However, I forgot one important aspect: the lemons must first be squeezed.
We have a lime tree in our backyard and I love limes, so I take advantage of every single one as it turns ripe! I’ve learned that to get the most juice out of the lime, I need to roll it on the countertop, softening it and bursting the little sacs that hold the wonderful juice. I then cut it in half and squeeze it with a lime juicer to get as much juice out of it as possible.
“I’m here to be squeezed out,” said Julian, a young man who had come to support the guest speaker for the Easter weekend worship conference. These words rang in my mind as he forfeited a restful Sunday afternoon after a packed weekend in order to spend time with youth hungry for an example.
In a moment I realized that before lemonade can be poured out, the lemons must be squeezed out. In the same way, in order for my life to be poured out, it must be squeezed out.
Am I ready and willing to be squeezed out? All my energy? All my strength?