{"id":1855,"date":"2020-04-20T12:33:21","date_gmt":"2020-04-20T12:33:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.katiepolski.com\/?p=1855"},"modified":"2020-04-20T12:33:21","modified_gmt":"2020-04-20T12:33:21","slug":"whats-in-your-bucket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/katiepolski.com\/?p=1855","title":{"rendered":"What’s In Your Bucket?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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During these strange days I feel as though I\u2019m walking through my house with an imaginary bucket attached to my wrist, grabbing whatever looks like it might bring an hour or even a moment of fulfillment, and I throw it in. Each day is a desperate attempt to fill these bucket to overflowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some days my bucket is consumed with random periods of time, hoping the accumulation will amount to an emotional change: an opportunity to catch a few moments of quiet while sitting in the sunshine, a happy hour glass of wine after a long day of working online, or a Netflix movie that I\u2019ve been looking forward to watching. Other days I am scrounging to fill it by making my kids happy, so I do things like spend an inordinate amount of time coming up with ways to celebrate my senior. I also attempt to fill the bucket with all the activities that I believe make will me feel \u201csatisfied.\u201d So, I fill it with moments (that\u2019s about all I\u2019ve got right now) of productivity, or school assignments done with my child without losing my patience.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then there are the unexpected moments of smiles and laughter that I make sure to throw in. The other day, my daughter sat on a stool while on a Zoom call with her teacher. She suddenly fell off the stool backward and sat on the floor stunned while her teacher called out: \u201cLily Polski? Lily Polski?<\/em>\u201d Lily and I laughed so uncontrollably that she couldn\u2019t finish the zoom call. I stopped in my tracks to scoop up and dump into my bucket that glorious moment of happiness.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But here\u2019s the problem. At the end of each day, while I have gathered these moments of contentment, my bucket is never full. <\/em>Is it bottomless? Perhaps I need to look for a new, better bucket. I even find that on some mornings, this bucket of contentment is mysteriously emptied; I don\u2019t even remember what was in it from the day before, so I start anew looking for things, moments, words of encouragement\u2026anything<\/em>\u2026.to fill my bucket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week, while attempting to fill it with productivity in the midst of writer\u2019s block, I meditated on 2 Corinthians 12:9. I studied it, wrote about it, and then came back to it again: \u201cBut he[Jesus] said to me [Paul}, \u2018My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.\u2019 Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

His Grace Is Sufficient<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Grace is God Himself showing us all of His favor and His mercy, even when we don\u2019t deserve it. His grace is sufficient for every day; <\/em>his grace is enough, it\u2019s plenty, it\u2019s abundant, it\u2019s satisfactory. His grace not only fills the bucket I carry around, it engulfs it. Nothing I seek after to find ease, comfort, or happiness in these days of trial will ultimate satisfy, but God\u2019s grace will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem is not my bucket, it\u2019s what I\u2019m filling it with in order to find lasting contentedness. Much of what I dump in brings temporary fulfillment, but it\u2019s not lasting, and even the richest, most sought after earthly blessing cannot reach the deepest longings of my heart. I know I am clinging too tightly to my bucket of man-made happiness when I cannot find joy due to my failures and insecurities. There is nothing within me that is sufficient enough to carry me from one day to the next, but God\u2019s grace is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning to lean into this grace is a life-long process, and it\u2019s often through trials that we come to see just how precious his all-sufficient grace really is. It\u2019s because of this grace that we don\u2019t have to live to the standard of perfect parent or the most efficient employee. It\u2019s because of this grace that we have hope, even in the midst of financial instability and health scares. And it\u2019s because of this grace that we know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God will give us all that is needed for the day ahead. His grace is enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His Power Is Made Perfect in Our Weakness<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The ESV study Bible says of this verse, \u201cIf weakness is something in which we can boast, nothing can ultimately overwhelm us.\u201d <\/em>I cannot boast in my bucket of happiness, my friends. It hasn\u2019t sustained me. But this is exactly Paul\u2019s point! My husband talks about the many paradigm shifts in Christianity and boasting in our weakness is certainly one of them. We live in a society that boasts in success, in financial security, and in families that appear to have it \u201call together.\u201d But Jesus shifts the spotlight away from these pictures and shines them on the humble believer at the foot of the cross. It is when we admit our weakness and inability that His great and mighty power is seen. And that power will fill our buckets of need to overflowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s in your bucket? Is it bottomless as well? When I look down and see an empty bucket that I have tried so hard to fill, the temptation is to feel disappointed or frustrated because of my inabilities. But the emptiness is an opportunity for God to reveal His power, His beauty, and His all-sufficient grace when I am tired, sad, or longing. His grace is enough, and His power is felt all the more when I am weak and enter the day emptied handed, ready to be filled with Him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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During these strange days I feel as though I\u2019m walking through my house with an imaginary bucket attached to my … <\/p>\n

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