A number of years ago I was given a fountain pen for my birthday. I didn't like to write by hand until that day. The smoothness and fluidity of writing with a fountain pen changed my perspective. I now enjoy writing things by hand.

But there's a problem with fountain pens. They run out of ink...relatively quickly. Around once per week I need to stop writing, open up my jar of ink and refill the pen. If I don't the ink runs thin. The nib begins scratching the paper. Eventually everything runs dry.

This has, for me, become a great reminder that I can't just keep giving out. I need to regularly (once a week seems like a biblical idea!) pause and be refilled. One cannot give what they do not have. Too often we try to push through and keep going when the best thing we could do is rest. (I heard one preacher say, "Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is take a nap.)

For some of us this is extremely hard. We have been told our entire life that our worth is determined by what we are contributing. That is not the way of Jesus. He declares you worthy because he loves you and invites you to find your rest in him.

Today, it may be that you are to be giving and serving. If so, do it with the strength of God's Spirit in you. But when you start to run dry, please don't hesitate to stop and be filled so that you can keep writing the story God has for you to write in beautiful ways!