Lesson From Odin

Odin was kind/odd enough to teach me a lesson today. That is to say that God was kind/quirky enough to teach me a lesson as I interacted with Odin today.

We were out on the lawn and I was watering the flowers with the hose. Odin had found a large plastic cup that I brought out earlier and he would stand in front of me with the cup held up saying ‘More? More? More?’, like Oliver or something but with a more limited vocabulary.

Several times in a row I would put to nozzle in the cup and fill it up. Odin would then look in the cup, fascinated and beaming, before promptly dumping it all out and coming back to me with ‘More? More? More?’ This happened a half dozen times and I was puzzled what was going on in his head. ‘Don’t you want to drink it?’ I asked. And then he tried that...a little...but was quickly back to dumping and asking for a refill.

It was then that God pointed out how much I was like that with regard to the Spirit. Understand that the revelation came as if there were a smile on it, not critical or condemning in any way at all, just like an observation from my papa. Certainly there is nothing wrong with Odin’s desire to fill the cup over and over, and that, I realized was what it was about. With the nozzle in the cup it boiled and bubbled and there was mist everywhere – it was exciting and fun! So I’m often the same way. I’m drawn to the intoxicating, infatuating experience of feeling the Spirit move in my heart – it’s a powerful experience and truly something we can get drunk on.

It’s also in my nature to quickly give it away. Not that I’m motivated to empty my cup simply to make room for it to be filed again (which is what I think Odin was doing) but I do tend to the immediate impulse to share. Again – there certainly isn’t anything at all wrong with that impulse...but it is, in the end, an impulse. Unreasoned, uncontrolled, and (well duh...) impulsive.

The Lord made a point that it is also His will that I take the opportunity to drink from that cup as well. Not to be overly anxious to share because really, there’s plenty for all and in fact I too get thirsty. The childlike heart that seeks to share and to serve is a good one, but if that heart remains untrained and childish, it will squander the richest gifts of the kingdom by pouring them all over the ground.