Be a bucket filler

One day last week I received an image on my phone of my granddaughter Beth holding a certificate she had been awarded by her school.  Judging by the big smile on her face, she was very happy to have received it.  I was somewhat puzzled by the nature of the award, however, as the certificate was headed, "Bucket filler of the week."  A number of images went through my mind as I pondered on the meaning of this phrase.

The wording on the front of the certificate read, "This certificate is awarded to Beth for being an outstanding bucket filler this week", and underneath was written the word "kindness".

The back of the certificate gave some clarifying detail: 

Remember to fill a bucket!
We are bucket fillers when we:
show love to someone,
say or do something kind,
give someone a smile,
make others feel special,
or care for someone.
Remember ... when you fill someone's bucket, you fill your bucket, too!

The idea is that we all carry invisible buckets around with us.  If our buckets are full, we are happy and content; having an empty bucket leads to sadness.  The challenge is to fill the buckets of other people through acts of kindness, love and thoughtfulness.  And we find that as we fill the buckets of others, our own bucket is being filled.  On the other hand, if we act in an unkind way towards someone, or speak ill of a person, not only are we emptying their bucket but also our own.

What a great way to encourage children (and adults!) to consider how they treat other people.   It certainly fits in well with how we are called to live as followers of Jesus.  St. Paul, for example, tells us, 'Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you' (Ephesians 4.32).  God has filled our buckets with his love, grace and forgiveness; how can we not seek to do our best to fill the buckets of others?