THE WEEKLY WORD: Canal or reservoir?

By Tim Purcell, Assistant to the Superintendent, Northwest District of the Wesleyan Church

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

— John 15:5 (NIV)

Bernard of Clairvaux, a 12th century reformer in the Benedictine order of monks, wrote the following:

“The [one] who is wise, therefore, will see [their] 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 [offers] the overflow without loss to itself …

“Today there are many in the Church who act like canals; the reservoirs are far too rare …. They want to pour [this stream] forth before they have been filled; they are more ready to speak than to listen, impatient to teach what they have not grasped, and full of presumption to govern others while they know not how to govern themselves.”

It reminded me of the part of the speech the flight attendant gives right before the airplane takes off; you know, the part about being sure your oxygen mask is in place before attempting to assist someone else.

Pretty good advice. It’s hard to assist someone else if you’re passing out from oxygen deprivation!

Choose your analogy; the branch that doesn’t stay connected to the vine, canal versus reservoir or the airplane passenger trying to assist others while being short of oxygen themselves.

The point is that we can’t pour into others without continually and consistently being filled ourselves.

God, make us reservoirs. Teach us to be before we do, listen before we speak, learn before we teach, and be sure that you are leading us before we attempt to lead others. Amen.