2 Essential Choices Help Destroy the Painful Void in Your Life

I love how some homeowners chose to deal with their drought-dried lawns. They paced their yards with green spray paint, and they had lawns to dye for. No more watering. No mowing. Just fake, green grass all summer.

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Actually, such innovation applies beyond the front yard straight into the human heart.

On the surface, most of us look vibrant, successful, content, and happy. And except for the occasional “scene”—when the truth bursts from behind our thin veneers—most of us manage to keep it together long enough to preserve the image.

In social circles where hurting is unacceptable (insert your church’s name here), we quickly learn how to paint on the smile and shake all the hands—while inside we feel as dead and needy as parched grass.

While we may have ideal hopes about tomorrow, and how in that ever-elusive “someday” things will get better, the truth is, life doesn’t fix itself.

Instead, God must fix life. Two essential choices can help.

The Hardwired Void We Carry

God hardwired each of us with a void only He can fill. Here’s what that means, practically:

• If you break free from bondage to alcohol, but fill that void with anything but Jesus, another bondage will replace it.
• If you wiggle loose from an emotional dependency on relationships, but ignore a relationship with the Lord, another addiction will take its place.
• Even if you struggle with a meaningless, empty existence, buying another boat, taking another job, and getting another spouse won’t fill the void.

Only God fills the chasm. Everything else only deepens it.

Fill the Void by Making These 2 Choices

1. Filling the void begins, of course, with faith in Jesus Christ.

But trusting Jesus doesn’t eliminate the void in our lives. It’s hardwired to stay.

Neither did He redeem us in order to fill the void with stuff we’ve always wanted—our dreams, our stuff, our pleasure, our needs. As Paul told some early believers:

But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. —Romans 6:17-18

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When God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, they failed to realize that freedom from serving Pharaoh meant freedom to serve the God who freed them.

2. Filling the void occurs by living for the glory of God as our solitary goal.

God doesn’t remove the void. He fills it.

• He fills the void with a purpose: to live for the glory of God who died for you (2 Corinthians 5:15). Our solitary goal. The glory of God.
  
• That means we don’t run after what the world does—but we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).

Eternal life refers to a quality of life—not just its duration. Read anew Jesus’ personal invitation to you:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. —Matthew 11:28-30

The peace that comes from that purpose will fill you to overflowing with fulfillment.

• Meaning replaces futility.
• Relationship replaces ritual.
• Eternal life replaces eternal death.

Is there a void? These 2 choices will help fill it up.

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Tell me what you think: What helps you pursue the solitary goal of living for the glory of God? To leave a comment, just click here.