Are You the Jordan River or the Dead Sea?

The Jordan River has sources that feed into it, but it also has outlets to distribute what has been collected.

The Dead Sea just collects the water from the Jordan River, never releasing anything out of it, causing the salt levels in the water to become deadly to marine life. Which is why there is no life on the inside of the 'Dead' sea. Hence the name, Dead Sea.

It is dangerous to your health to just collect, collect, collect, and never release. It's spiritually healthy when you are blessed to be a blessing to others...

The giving/blessing doesn't have to financial. Sometimes all it takes is a phone call, an email, a text message, an IM, a MySpace comment, a Facebook message, a 'Just thinking about you card', a short hello and a hug... Smile and wink at me when we make eye contact in public

;-).

I was flipping through my notebook and I found these notes from a sermon that my pastor taught earlier this year and then I thought about some of the people in my inner circle. And I thought about myself... And my family back in FL and here in GA. When I go home there is always at least 3 households that wanna holla: "Hey Stranger! Long time no hear from you!" Guess what, the communication line works both ways, just like the Jordan... It takes at least two. Holding a conversation with yourself gets boring and makes you look a bit unstable... You grow weary of always being the one who makes the phone calls or sends the cards at holidays, or writing letters with no return response... ahhhhh... Moving on!

I remember growing up there was a lady that only came to visit my mom when she wanted something, (it wasn't really a visit, it was like a knock on the door, do you have thanks and goodbye) we didn't have much to share but my mom always gave... My issue this situation was she only came around when she wanted something. I don't recall seeing her when my father got sick, when my mom was sick, when my sister passed... Can't recall her coming around when she didn't need to be poured into. She was 'Dead Sea' material. Since I my mom was 'Jordan River' material she always had a little to give her.

Do you have friends or family like that?

Only call or come around when they want or 'need' something, when they need to be poured into?!?!?! Of course you do, we all have those types in our lives, at least 1 person anyway.

See the thing about 'Dead Sea' material is that they will always need to be poured into.

***My Challenge to you today is this: Go through your phone's contact list, your email list, your address book... Who do you hold dear enough to reach out TODAY ~ right now?!?! Reach out to them. Even if it's just a quick, :"Hey!" Whose is your 'Dead Sea' material?!?! DELETE THEM! RIGHT NOW!