Good morning…
We meet monthly as a small group of spiritual directors, learning to listen keenly for the movement of God. Practicing a new-to-me way of focusing our attention, yesterday I said, “I would need to repeat this way of listening, regularly, by myself, processing my own experiences and gradually building up my inner resources, before I would ever feel comfortable guiding another person in this way.”
One friend said, “I get it. You want to be a reservoir, not a canal.”
“I’ve heard that saying before. Where does it come from?” I asked.
We, as a group, found our way to this quote by Bernard of Clairvaux, a 12th century French abbot. “The (one) who is wise, therefore, will see (one’s) life as more like a reservoir than a canal. The canal simultaneously pours out what it receives; the reservoir retains the water till it is filled, then discharges the overflow without loss to itself … Today there are many in the Church who act like canals, the reservoirs are far too rare … You too must learn to await this fullness before pouring out your gifts, do not try to be more generous than God.”
We read aloud the quote and let the wisdom sink in deep. Doesn’t this restorative dynamic describe the life and leadership of Jesus?
News about Jesus kept spreading. Large crowds came to listen to him teach and to be healed of their diseases. But Jesus would often go to some place where he could be alone and pray (Luke 5:15-16, CEV). These intimate times away to pray replenished his inner reservoir. Resting in the loving presence of our Father, Jesus was renewed, refreshed, refilled. Descending into the heart, tuning his inner ear to the Father’s voice, Jesus retained his unique identity and received guidance on what to do and say. Then when Jesus returned to the needy crowd, healing power would go out of him, discharged from God’s overflow without losing his inner reservoir.
As we watch the quiet, captivating video below, might we also learn to live like a reservoir, awaiting the fullness of God before pouring out our gifts?
…Sue…
