Grace Bucket

Managing and putting on events is stressful. When you’re responsible for handling large-scale events, no matter if you’re over the decor or volunteers or operations or the technology, events are pressure-filled situations. When you are under stress, stretched thin, sleep deprived, and not eating right because you’re too exhausted to meal prep, things just have a way of going sideways. Add more people into that mix and you’ve created a perfect opportunity for things to go terribly wrong.

When working events, my friends and I came up with the phrase “Grace Bucket”. This was our quick reminder to one another that we need to consistently be refilling our grace bucket as we’re constantly giving out. People can be challenging and it’s easy to become short or angry with others when you’re feeling pressured and rushed. When things begin going wrong (and they always do at events) it can feel as though the grace bucket has a large hole at the bottom of it, with any grace you once had spilling on the floor as you scurry around trying to “fix” things. There were times when my friends and I would take turns stepping away for a quiet moment with the Lord, because the grace bucket can only be refilled in the presence of Jesus.

I can give grace when I understand who I am. 

It’s so easy to fall into the trap of believing that people’s actions define who we are, but that’s simply not the case. When I begin to adopt the idea that someone else’s happiness is dependent upon me or their perspective of me is truly who I am, that grace bucket develops all kinds of holes in it. But, when I spend time in God’s presence and arm myself with the facts of who I am and whose I am, I simply can’t be stopped. The Lord so graciously comes in and reminds me that he has displayed undeserved grace to me so I can give that to others. He pours grace into my bucket and patches those holes for me so that I can give it out to those in need. There are times when the old, beat-up bucket I’ve been using is too small, so he gives me a bright, shiny new one, expanding my capacity to give out grace that’s so desperately needed.

What’s the state of your grace bucket?

Is your bucket leaking left and right? Do you have a gaping hole in the bottom of it? Is your bucket bone dry, causing you to try and give grace without having a source to draw from? Is your bucket overflowing because you haven’t given much grace out lately?

I encourage you to take your grace bucket to the Lord and ask him to make the necessary repairs and to fill it up again. And, the next time you’re with someone who drains you or you’re in a stressful situation, I encourage you to remember your grace bucket. Be mindful of the grace that you’ve been given so that you can be gracious to others. Our grace buckets aren’t for hoarding grace for ourselves; there’s no shortage in supply because we have the immense privilege of giving out grace and coming back to the source for endless refills.

Let’s be sure to dish out the grace today. 

Read more about Grace here: Overwhelmed by Grace