What’s in Your Cup? Learning to Overflow With Thankfulness

Life has a funny way of revealing what’s really inside us. Imagine this: you’re walking back from the office kitchen with a cup of coffee. Someone bumps into you and—splat!—coffee everywhere.

You spilled coffee because coffee was in your cup. If it had been tea, tea would have spilled instead.

That moment teaches us something powerful: when life bumps us—through challenges, stress, or unexpected situations—whatever is in our hearts tends to spill out. That’s why Paul encourages us in Colossians 2:6-7 to live rooted in Christ:
“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

Being “rooted and built up in Him” means our hearts are filled with Christ’s love and strength. When life bumps us, what spills out isn’t frustration or fear—it’s thankfulness.

How do we stay full of thankfulness?

So the question becomes: how do we stay full of thankfulness, especially when life feels tough or uncertain?

Paul gives us a practical roadmap in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

He is not saying life will always be perfect, and he’s not asking us to give thanks for the hard things themselves. Instead, he nvites us to give thanks in every circumstance—because our thankfulness is rooted not in what’s happening around us, but in who God is.

We don’t give thanks only when blessings are obvious. We give thanks because the One who blesses us never changes. His goodness, faithfulness, love, and constant presence are what our thankfulness flows from. Circumstances come and go, but God remains steady.That’s the firm foundation for a life overflowing with thankfulness.

Filling your cup daily

When rejoicing, prayer, and thankfulness become part of our daily rhythm, our heart begin to fill up. Over time, our hearts become so full that when life bumps us—when things go wrong, when people frustrate you, when disappointments come—what spills out isn’t bitterness, fear or worry. It’s thankfulness, trust, and peace.

Living this way doesn’t mean life is perfect. It simply means our focus is on the God who is perfect, faithful, and worthy of thanks at all times. When He fills our cup, we never run out of reasons to be thankful.

Your heart reveals what you are filled with

Just like a cup spills whatever is inside when it’s bumped, our hearts reveal what we’re filled with when life gets tough. The Bible calls us to be rooted in Christ and overflowing with thankfulness, not because every situation is good, but because God Himself is good, faithful and unchanging.

True thankfulness isn’t shaped by what happens to us; it’s shaped by who God is. As we rejoice, pray, and give thanks each day, our lives naturally overflow with a thankfulness that is anchored in God, not circumstances.

So ask yourself today: what’s in your cup?

“Let it be thankfulness, and see how it overflows—even through life’s bumps and surprises..