The Hole

Do you ever have a feeling inside you, a void perhaps, that, no matter what you do, you just can’t seem to fill?  You know what I’m talking about, that emptiness, that feeling of not quite being 100% happy.  Or, maybe you’re happy around others but when you’re alone you just feel crummy? 

So, you drink, do drugs, take some prescription pills, shop, eat, have sex.  You may do some of these things or all of them.  And, while you’re doing them and shortly after, you feel great, euphoric even. I know because I’ve been there.  But what happens when you wake up the day after?  Or, a few days later?  Let me guess, you go out and do more of it, right?  Pop a few more Xanax, drink a little more, try some more of your friend’s pot or other drugs, throw caution to the wind and hook up with that guy or girl at the club. 

Now, what if I told you I had the perfect solution for you.  The answer to what you’re searching for and longing for.  Many of you may tell me to bottle it and sell it because I’d make millions.  I’m sure I’d catch your attention if I told you I could offer it to you for nothing, free, zip, zilch, nada.  You’d stop and listen then, no?  Well, I have that solution.  It’s so simple, many won’t believe me.  Are you ready for it?

God. 

One word, one being, one solution.  Don’t tune out, stay with me.  Let me tell you the story that changed my life, changed me as a woman, a wife, a mother, a sister, a friend.

I’m very blessed to have a lot of wonderful people in my life.  There’s one woman in particular that has offered me a lot of guidance.  Her name is Michelle.  She’s an incredible woman and I am so much better for knowing her.  She told me the story of the “God shaped hole” one day and I was blown away.  Suddenly, everything made sense and nothing was the same after that. 

You see, we're all born with a God shaped hole inside.  We try to fill this hole with all sorts of stuff, sex, drugs, alcohol, spending money, whatever.  It works for a little while, but since what we’ve stuffed in there isn’t the right shape, it ends up slipping through the hole and we end up feeling empty again.  So, what do we do?  We have more sex, do more drugs, drink more, spend more and end up empty every time.  On top of that, people in our lives start to recognize the path we’re on and they get onto us.  Then, we end up feeling emptiness, anger and anxiety all together.  Not a good place to be. 

All this until, one day, if we know enough to do it, we turn to our creator.  He put this hole in us.  He put this thirst in us.  A hole that’ll never be filled, a thirst that will never be quenched until we submit to Him and give ourselves over to Him. 

Wow, that’s quite a statement, submit and give ourselves over.  I’m probably about to lose a bunch of you right now.  But again, I’m going to ask you to stay with me because there’s something very important you need to know about salvation and being reborn in Christ.  Are you ready for it?

You don’t have to give anything up. 

But you will gain everything.  Imagine waking up every morning with a feeling of peace and happiness inside.  True peace and true happiness, a feeling of fulfillment, lacking nothing.  An overwhelming feeling of being loved and taken care of.  An overwhelming feeling of hope.  When was the last time you felt that?

Imagine no longer needing to drink so much you black out, no longer needing to sleep around, no longer needing to pop a bunch of Xanax or smoke anything.  Doesn’t that sound exciting?  It probably also sounds unbelievable to some.  But, it’s true.  Once that God shaped hole gets filled with Him, the emptiness is gone.  He doesn’t slip through the hole like everything else did. 

So many people have this preconceived notion of what being reborn is.  I have what I like to call “my cup runneth over” moments.  I get so overwhelmed with the joy and peace I have inside me now that I don’t know what to do with myself.  When you become reborn, you don’t give anything up.  You will want to change the way you live because you’ll recognize that your old life just wasn’t good enough.  

You will no longer want for anything but Him.  You’ll see people differently. You’ll see situations differently.  You’ll see yourself differently.  And, the best part is, you’ll like what you see. 

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.— John 6:35 

On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.— John 7:37