Life as a Sponge

A few days after a friend had completed a large liturgical project, she described herself as “feeling like a wrung-out sponge.” She had been giving extra time and energy to the project for several weeks, and while it was good and exciting work, it was a lot.

She used the sponge analogy for how she felt for a number of reasons: sponges can hold a lot; and they take a lot of squeezing before they are wrung out. Sponges are used as tools especially because of these qualities.

And most importantly: sponges are re-fillable. Whether in nature or human-made, they are designed to soak up water; to hold water; and to share the water. They consist of tubes and holes to let water pass through them.

In other words, sponges are meant to be filled and wrung out. (To leave a sponge full of water too long makes it a breeding ground for bacteria or fungi.)

So my friend’s comment about being a wrung-out sponge was not a complaint of tiredness (though she was very tired!); it was a commentary on having been used as intended. She had taken what she could hold, and shared it; she had been filled with gifts to compliment those offered by the others in the team, and had contributed.

And she knew that the end of one project was not the end of her ministry; while she needed to rest her body and spirit, she knew that she would soon be filled again: with ideas, with energy, with enthusiasm for her service to God and God’s people.

What a great analogy for us in our Christian journey, to be invited to share of what we have, to trust that our spirits will be refilled, to believe that we will be given opportunities to share our gifts over and over again, to know that we are being used in God’s kingdom.

In this time after the Feast of the Resurrection, where so many folks are feeling that tiredness that comes from the events of the past week, let’s remember that we are like sponges: emptied, but not spent; resting and re-fillable. Even a wrung-out sponge can delight in a hearty Alleluia!