You Can Only Give What You Have

We are like clay pots; what's in us, is all that can come out. There is no way around this. The Bible puts it like this "...out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34, New King James Version). If there is an abundance of hurt in you, which causes you to criticize or think bad of yourself, often that is what you will also give out to others, harsh criticism, unrealistic expectation, name calling; you name it. The sad part of this is that many of us get hurt expecting people to be who we need them or would like them to be, not recognizing who they really are. They are people who are hurt, and as I once heard, hurt people often hurt people. Remembering that out of the abundance of their heart is where all things flow from, if their heart is full of hurt, how can they give you anything but hurt? To give something, you must first possess it; you cannot give what you do not first possess. If you are constantly being hurt by an individual, recognize that this is what is in them, and the only way it will change is through God's help. So, pray for them, and pray for God's healing to take place in these individuals, realizing at the same time that they won't be able to do any differently until they can see it. So, there is no use looking for more in them than what is available. Some, you may just have to move away from, as you are the keeper of your own heart; remember that we are to guide our hearts with all diligence, as from our heart flows the essence of who we are (Proverbs 4:23 KJV). No one has the right to destroy who you are as a person, so don't give any one that type of control over you. This is especially true for my sisters; God bless and keep you.