Filling the Bucket

Today was my first faculty meeting, which was a little bit intimidating. Besides being terrified and very overwhelmed it was actually a really good experience. Our principal mentioned a character development concept called "filling the bucket". He talked about how every interaction either fills or dips into our bucket and how important it is to fill others buckets. I am a huge believer of that. But what made me really think was the state of the buckets-because no matter how much you seek to fill others buckets, if there is a hole in it it will never make a difference in their lives. That's not to say you didn't help them at the time or that your efforts were wasted, but there is a better way. I like to think of it as being similar to "first seek to understand, then seek to be understood". The same concept could be applied, "first seek to fix a bucket, then seek to fill it". Find out where the hole is, find out how to repair it, don't just keep pouring water in it over and over again thinking some how it will be full; for it never will be. And both you and the bucket you seek to fill will become exhausted and discouraged and be none the more full for all the effort.

Now that doesn't mean the one who needs a bucket fixed is off the hook. There is only so much others can do to help us "retain" water, but in the end only we can fix our buckets. I know that many of you who read this may feel very empty right now whether its unloved or unworthy or unhappy or anything else in life causing a hole that drains out joy. Trust me, I've been there and still have quite few holes in my bucket. But from personal experience I realized that rather than craving and praying for others to come fill my bucket, I needed to fix my bucket. I needed to believe in myself and teach myself how to make that water useful rather than constantly casting it aside only to look for more later. I needed to relearn how to think and feel and react until my bucket was so tight that nothing could drip out of it. And now, I am seeking very hard to keep it that way. And today, I am going to do everything I can to go help someone fix their bucket-then I will be free to fill it.

Noah

When we are prepared we shall not fear and our hard times will be moments of rejoicing, for God always keeps his promises when we do our part.

Last night I was talking with someone and heard the popular saying "when it rains it pours". For some reason in my head I instantly thought, "yeah, just ask Noah". As I thought more about that I realized how well he learned that lesson and prepared for the times of torrential rains. We often talk about how Noah started building the ark when there wasn't a cloud in the sky and was mocked for it. Yet in the end it was a good thing he got a head start on the job, for when the rains came and then poured I can only imagine the peace and confidence he felt as he loaded his family into the safety of his gopher wood ark.

Today I think that we all have similar experiences in a way. We have the "good times" in life and then we have the "floods" of trials in life. What I want to do better is to prepare for those floods. I want to start my ark now rather then later so that when hardship comes my way I too can fill that peace as Noah did and figuratively get into my "ark" of testimony, trust in the Lord, hope, faith, and a solid relationship with God through months of daily meaningful and personal prayer. Only then can we say to ourselves "come what may and love it". May we all follow the adage quoted by President Monson this last conference, "When the time for decision arrives, the time for preparation is past." May we do as President Eyring suggested and draw courage from being prepared. When we do so we will be far more prepared for the rains of life and will be able to grow and even enjoy those moments of hardships in our lives for we, like Noah, will be able to step confidently into our own arks prepared in the Lord's way.