Feeling Empty?

Anyone remember that old song…”Fill my cup Lord, I lift it up Lord. Come and quench this thirsting of my soul. Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more. Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole”…???

Ever go through a time where you felt totally empty? It could be for any number of reasons; maybe you feel spiritually empty….like you have nothing left to give in service to God, to others. Maybe you feel emotionally empty, like there’s nothing left to tap into. Maybe you just feel…empty…so empty your not sure what category you are feeling the void in.

You wake up each day, go through your morning routine, start your day and just exist. The body is moving, jobs are being marked off the checklist. But, you wake up one day and realize…”I’ve grown empty. I’ve let a few days, few weeks, few months, few years…go by, just existing.”

Often times, this can be for various reasons. Sometimes, we just simply get caught up. The busy schedules, the demands of our energy and thoughts, the physical exhaustion. There’s no time to experience, to grow, to stretch. (Or, so we think!) Other times, it can be a spirit of defeat. We grow weary with struggles that seem constant in our lives, burdens that never seem lifted, demands that never seem to end. We take on the “woe is me” armor. Yes…armor. Armor is intended to protect. And, when we get that “woe is me” feeling, we use it as protection. If WE feel sorry for ourselves, somehow that brings a twisted sense of protection, of comfort and shield from further disappointment and emptiness.

It’s quite obvious, God never intended for us to live like that. We were created to love Him, depend on Him, to worship Him, to be cared for by Him! Depend upon and be cared for by…ever notice that these are two of the hardest things for us to accept/do as humans? Think of the terms…control freak, loner, introvert, obsessive compulsive. Often times we apply stories of someone’s life, to determine how they get to living out those descriptions. For a loner…often times it can stem from a life of survival, a lack of emotional giving from key members in their lives, or other various things. For a control freak, it can be continual disappointments, lack of finding others who can help in a way that would be appreciated, etc.

What is your story? If someone had to describe you right now, what do you think they would say? Are you an empty soul merely functioning day to day? Are you a ray of sunshine illuminating the lives around you? In the cause of Christ, are you sold out? Or, dare I say, just accepting it?

God loves us, saved us from sin and freely pours out grace and mercy upon us. He also takes us, and when we get too comfortable, too empty, too fearful…puts situations, people and/or tugging at our hearts into our lives, to help us grow, stretch, depend upon and accept his caring towards us!

Psalm 16:11 "You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your righthand are pleasures forevermore."

Psalm 23:5 "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over."

John 15:11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."