What My Cooler Taught Me About Priorities

Why a simple blue cooler reminded me to stop running on spiritual fumes.

It’s just a cooler. Cobalt blue. Keeps stuff cold. But it turns out, that little box has more to teach me than I expected.

Every job I roll up to, my cooler’s with me. I pack it with care—ice, water bottles, maybe a couple PB&Js, sometimes a Gatorade if I know it’s gonna be a grind. I don’t just toss stuff in there. I think it through. I know what I’ll need, how long I’ll be out, and how brutal the day might get. Because I’ve had those days where I didn’t prep well—and it sucks. Warm water. Nothing satisfying. You start running on fumes way too early.

And it hit me the other day:

Why don’t I treat my soul the same way?

Packing with Purpose

Most of us wouldn’t forget to bring water to a work site. We know what happens if we don’t. But how many times do we head into the day spiritually empty, hoping to wing it and just "push through"?

We’re dealing with way more than tile and tools. Every day’s a spiritual grind—temptations, distractions, frustrations, people testing your patience, a culture that doesn’t care about truth. And too many of us are stepping into that without anything in our spiritual cooler.

No prayer. No Scripture. No time with God.Just vibes and a couple half-dead affirmations from a podcast clip we saw last week.

What Are You Carrying?

My cooler doesn’t fill itself. I have to prep it. Intentionally. If I want to be fueled, I’ve gotta take time the night before or early in the morning to load it up. The same goes for faith.

• Are you starting your day with the Word, or just your phone?

• Are you packing peace through prayer, or hoping it shows up later?

• Are you feeding on God’s promises—or just scrolling for motivation?

Some people’s spiritual coolers are full of junk:

Bitterness. Doom-scrolling. Half-truths. Pride. Ego.

And then they wonder why their life feels so heavy and dry.

Cold Drinks and Living Water

There’s something about cracking open a cold bottle of water mid-day, especially when you’ve been grinding for hours. It refreshes you. It wakes you up. It keeps you going.

Jesus offers us something better than that. He told the woman at the well that He gives living water—and when you drink it, you’ll never thirst again (John 4:14). But you gotta actually go to Him to get it. You don’t get filled by osmosis. You don’t get nourished by accident. Just like that cooler, it takes a choice.

Don’t Forget Your Spiritual Cooler

If your days have felt heavy lately, maybe it’s not just the schedule. Maybe it’s what you’re carrying—or not carrying.

Before you head out the door tomorrow, check two things:

1. Is your cooler packed?

2. Is your spirit?

Because the truth is, I’d rather face a 10-hour tile job in July with no lunch than face this broken world without Christ.

And yeah, that might sound dramatic…But sometimes, your cooler reminds you what matters.