When you’re empty and discouraged, it’s easy to give in to the desire to just sit back into the darkness. To shrink away quietly. To settle in to the empty like it’s what was intended.

But y’all, trust me. That’s not what was intended. And so many times, we end up being able to see a tiny little light in the distance. Some kernel of truth. Some inspiration or motivation or encouragement. Some lesson that makes the darkness understandable and less scary. And we take that little light and fan the flame and pull ourselves back out. We step forward – whether boldly or timidly. And we fall back into the stride of life.

But so many times, we leave it there. We get back to balanced, and forget how crucially helpful that light, that lesson was for us. We forget that someone else may be shrinking, settling in, sitting back. Someone may be needing a little help to take the first step.

Y’all, don’t forget to pour into others. Pour out your heart. Pour out your time. Pour out your love. Pour into them with all you have.

You never know what a difference it will make in their lives… and honestly, it’ll most likely end up lifting you up too. Because when you’re focused on supporting someone else, your challenges shrink – even if only momentarily. When you’re focused on loving someone else wholeheartedly in the way they need to be loved in that moment – you’ll find your heart opening farther and deeper than you thought possible. When you’re focused on letting someone know they aren’t alone in the struggle – you realize you were never alone in that struggle either.

If you’re feeling like you’re on the slippery slope to sliding into the empty, make a point to pour into others. You’ll be amazed at how it fills you up too.

Y’all, take time to take care of each other. Be that light. Pour into the ones you love.