Feeling Empty

No one really likes Empty. No one wants Empty. Definitely, no one wants to Feel Empty.

Empty promises. Empty bank account. Empty fridge. Empty nest. Empty headed. Empty bucket. Running on Empty. Empty words. Empty wine glass. *gasp!!

All of it denotes having less , feeling less, being less and in our culture less is never positive.

I want Full instead! Full sounds fun! Full feels better. Full means I’m not lacking for anything.

Full belly. Full schedule. Full life. Full on. Full of laughter. Full assurance.

If fullness is the goal then why does it so often leave us feeling empty?

I heard a pastor on the radio today saying that ‘if your mind is always full of your own ideas you will never have the mind of Christ.’ And there it is. There’s our answer. We are full, but of the wrong things. I am full of the wrong things.

I have agendas and deadlines. I have goals to attain, new skills to learn, and accomplishments to reach. I want to meet people and go places. I want to be known. I want to make my mark. Leave my legacy. Don’t we all??

None of these things I desire is inherently bad unless you notice the common theme. I , I, I, me, me ,me…….I’m full….. Of Me. So many times the things I’m loading up on are meant to Fill the void. Fill the loneliness. Fill the Time. Fill the Silence. I stuff my time and my life and my thoughts so completely there’s no room for anything new.

Sometimes I don’t leave room for Jesus.

God wants to pour himself into me. More than rivulets into the narrow gaps He wants to flood into my Whole heart. He can give me more fulfillment than any worldly goal or possession I might chase.Emptying my heart of loving anything that takes Christs’ place makes no sense to the world. But the funny thing about Jesus is he rarely made sense to his disciples either. When the disciples argued among themselves about which of them was the greatest; Christ told them that ‘it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.’ Luke 9:48

Say what? He was basically saying ‘Hey! Stop filling yourself with yourself and instead be emptied out for others and full of me! The kind of status you’re looking for lacks substance and will never keep you satiated. If you make room for what I offer you will never thirst again. Never be hungry again. Never strive again. Make . Room. For . Me.”

Jesus desperately wants to give us the best gift we could ever receive. But you can only grab onto it if you let go and reach for it with empty hands. For me it’s a daily intentional choice between staying full of what I want vs. what God wants. While it’s sometimes a struggle to get there, empty doesn’t scare me like it used to. Now, I crave it knowing God’s plans for me far exceed anything I’ve ever concocted myself!

This Easter, I ask you to try something that might be new and scary. Close your eyes and take a deep breath- then release something that you’ve been clutching tightly with both hands.(not your phone. Put your phone down before attempting this) 🙂 Ask God to empty you of it so you can take in whatever He has for you.

Trust me when I tell you that being receptive and empty for God will fill you with more peace than you could imagine. After all, He gave us an empty tomb and nothing has ever filled the world as much as that.