It feels like such a special privilege to share with people. Talking and sharing may seem like the same thing, but there is an inherent difference. Talking can be simple chatter or vocal dictation. But sharing feels like so much more.

I remember sitting in a car as a teenager, sharing with the mother of girls for whom I regularly babysat. She was bringing me home after she and her husband were back from their evening away. Sometimes I read Bible stories with the girls as part of our routine, and they had begun to ask questions of their parents about the stories we read. Since they weren’t familiar with the stories, they couldn’t answer the questions. So, as a family, they began to read the Bible to find the answers. She asked me question after question as we shared about living a life of faith, and I was so happy that I felt my whole self engage as we talked. I knew that God was using my life to reach others with his love, and it felt so amazing.

And sharing with a friend who is rejoicing with the best news or even walking through a difficult or questioning time can feel similar. We may not know what to say or what they need to hear, but if we pray and ask God to use our mouths to say whatever that might be, we offer ourselves for God’s use, whatever he might require.

It’s like a funnel. A cheap, plastic funnel or a fancy one fit the same purpose. Our job is to keep the funnel clean, so that God can flow whatever he wants to through it. He pours it in, and he causes it to flow out. A funnel is just a conduit, not a source. It’s not about you or what you can do, it’s about what he wants to do through you.

The tricky part is keeping the funnel clean. If there is leftover “stuff” when reusing a funnel for a recipe, for instance, the mixture in the bowl will be altered. We have to be careful not to let our personal “stuff” get in the way of what God is trying to do through us.

It’s a constant process to keep our hearts and motives pure. May we be wonderful, useful conduits through which God can freely flow. May those around us feel the force of the power and love of God emanating through us. And may we always remember that it’s not about us. He’s the master creator, and if we allow ourselves to be a funnel, he can use us to bless others.