My Cup Overflows

The title for this blog is a phrase from one of my favorite Psalms, Psalm 23, that until i came here to Morelia, I did not understand.

This Psalm has been with me almost my entire life. Some of my earliest childhood memories are sitting in the bathtub with my sisters or on the swings learning this psalm verse by verse. When i was little the best part about learning the verse was getting a small handful of chocolate chips every time i could repeat a verse back to one of my parents. Now that i'm an adult -wow that feels weird to say but it's true- i treasure having that Psalm with me all the time whenever i need it.

Most of the psalm is pretty basic and easy to understand. "The Lord is my shepherd I shall not be in want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul." I, often throughout life, would find joy in nature because of these verses, and found that being alone in God's creation did, indeed, restore my soul.

"He guides me in paths of righteousness for his namesake. Even though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death i will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff they comfort me." I experiences this part for the first time when i went to Nepal in the summer of 2009. Every day there literally felt like the valley of the shadow of death, but God got me through it and showed me a LOT about myself and also what else i could get out of a relationship with him. Looking back, that trip changed my walk with Christ forever.

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." This verse was shown to me this last year during water polo season. God helped me get through a terrible mess with one of the girls on my team, who i considered my enemy, but he helped me grow in him through the experience.

"You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows." I always understood the analogy for anointing a head with oil, but i never understood the "my cup overflows" part. As a kid i experienced, many-a-time, the sudden impulse to slurp up foam when you fill your glass of soda too much, but that was it.
Here
Now
In Morelia
I Understand
How My Cup
Can Overflow.

My cup is my life, and it can overflow with all the blessings and happiness God gives me. Here in Morelia i am happier than i have ever been. This is because i can see my purpose here and i can see how to help people. I also am surrounded by hundreds of miracles here, and those miracles are every single kid at NOE!!! I am more blessed than i could ever have imagined. My heart is full to bursting with happiness and thankfulness for all that God has given me here.


Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and i must admit it is starting to feel a little weird being away from home at this time of year. On Facebook my wall is plastered with notifications of all my college friends going home to see their families for the holidays. I could continue that sentence by saying "while i am stuck here" but i won't say that because i'm not stuck! I love it here, and even though yes, sometimes it is a little hard to be away from home, it is worth it to be experiencing everything i am here.

I was thinking back this morning to last Thanksgiving. Spending it with family and friends was enjoyable, but on the inside my heart was broken into a million tiny pieces. I was trying to figure out what i wanted to do with the rest of my life, had just finished a really hard water polo season, was anxiously awaiting the results of my Intern request for NOE, and i just wasn't happy. My heart was full of worries and doubts and honestly, i wasn't thankful for much of anything in my life then.

This Thanksgiving, however, is a completely different story! My life is filled with more blessings and happiness than i ever could have hoped for, even in my wildest imagination! Sure my Thanksgiving isn't going to be perfect this year. The rolls will be store bought instead of my mom's, the green bean casserole will have potato chips instead of fried onions and the pies won't be hot out of the oven, but i am SOOOOO BLESSED HERE that all that little stuff fades away.

Even though i'm not HOME for Thanksgiving with my family and friends, i am home here in Morelia, ready to share a new kind of Thanksgiving with my new family and friends.

Thank you Lord for blessings and for giving me as many as i have here.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!! May your cups overflow as well this holiday season!!!