Quick question: are you a puddle or a pipeline?

Think about a puddle. Water sits there without moving. What happens to a puddle after a few days? It turns murky, it starts to smell, and mosquitoes move in and start a family. Yuck! Nobody wants a puddle.

Now think about a pipeline. It’s also a bunch of water, but it’s going somewhere! A pipe’s whole job is to carry water to people who need it. Water flows in one end and out the other, and everybody gets a drink because of it.

So what’s the difference between a puddle and a pipeline? It’s whether the water moves.

Proverbs tells us God loves blessing His people. But God’s blessings were never meant to stop with us. Way back in Genesis, God told Abraham He was blessing him so he could be a blessing to others. What flows in is meant to flow out.

So think about what God’s given you. Your stuff. Your time. Your family. Your ability to make people laugh, or run fast, or explain math. Is all that collecting in a stagnant puddle, or flowing out to somebody else? And here’s the best part: when you give things away, you don’t run out. God keeps the pipeline full.

Take Action: Turn on your pipeline this week with three things. Give something: pick one thing you own that somebody else would enjoy more, and actually give it away. Give time: do something helpful at home without telling anybody it was you. Give talent: use what you’re best at to help another person. Then notice how you feel. Pipelines beat puddles every time!