Drop Your Buckets Where You Are
A ship was lost at sea for days. Their situation became even more critical when they ran out of drinking water. Desperate for water, they finally spotted another ship and sent a message: “Please send water!” The message came back, “Drop your buckets where you are!” The message was repeated, but the answer came back the same. Finally, the captain ordered buckets dropped over the side of the ship, and to their surprise, they found fresh water. They were in the estuary of the Amazon River even though they could see no land. The Amazon’s waters push the salt water back some 160 kilometers into the sea.
Such is often the case with us when we feel we have run out of energy and ideas. We feel we need to be somewhere else or be someone else. We need other resources; we are sure of it. But all we really need to do is drop our buckets where we are. When we stop seeking to be someone else or trade places with another, and draw on our own situation, things change. We can improve and flourish right where we are. We only have to believe that with God’s help we can accomplish the task. As Paul said, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:12-13).
You who are discouraged. You who feel you are not worth your salt. All you really need to do is drop your buckets where you are, and you will find sweet water. God will give you strength, but you have to learn the secret of being content in any situation.
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