The Truth About God and Your Emptiness in Life
The first red-winged blackbird appeared from out of the pasty white sky on a Sunday, and we marveled at the feeder like we’d never seen such a miracle. We were at the end of a season when all the emptiness in life had us feeling poured out.
It’s funny how the normal can become a miracle when everything else has been stripped away.
It’s funny how the once-expected rain can become a phenomenon after a season of drought.
In the aftermath of the longest kind of winter season, that first red-winged blackbird looked something like a scarlet-caped wonder.
In the aftermath of a never-ending night, just a little flicker of light can change everything.
Emptiness in Life
We knew a thing or two about a sense of emptiness in life that winter. I’d been stuck on the couch for something like six months, watching my family pack up in the car to enjoy life’s festivities without me: Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, dozens of Sunday morning trips to worship, birthday parties, and social outings I once took for granted or even grumbled over.
When so much is stripped away, the smallest gifts start to feel like absolute miracles, like red-winged blackbirds that mark the beginning of a new season of life and healing and wholeness.
There are all sorts of empty seasons: There are lonely seasons, abandoned seasons, grief-filled seasons, worried seasons, and dry seasons of every variety.
Maybe that’s why I turned to the pages of John’s gospel when that first blackbird showed up at the feeder. I wanted to see those six stone water pots, the ones that sat empty when the guests gulped down all of the wine.
“They have no wine,” Mary, Jesus’ mother says. I imagine her tone held a hint of urgency, a hint of, Do something.
And haven’t we all been here?
Jesus, I’m running on empty. Do something.
What Jesus Does With Emptiness
“Fill the water pots with water,” Jesus finally commands the servants, after a small exchange about the timing of his ministry.
And we know how it all plays out. Water to wine. The first of Jesus’ miracles. And the wine Jesus commands is the best variety of the day. What Jesus makes doesn’t come up short.
I marveled over this miracle for close to a decade. I marveled over why Jesus would choose this to be his first public miracle. Why not the healing of a sick child, the resurrection of life from death, or something a little more . . . holy?
But as I gaze at the little blackbird pecking at sunflower seeds, it dawns on me:
Maybe Jesus wanted to teach us all that our emptiness is the backdrop for his miraculous touch. #miracles #emptiness Share on XJesus knew most of us would find ourselves running on empty amid the daily grind far more often than we’d find ourselves empty amid the mountaintop moments. He knew that the miracles of the ordinary would be our daily needs, and he turned the water to wine to show us that he does care about the needs that feel small in our lives.
It doesn’t have to be a hospital bed day, an end-of-life day, or a crisis day for Jesus to show up with your miracle.
Jesus Wants to Show up in Your Everyday Emptiness
He’s waiting to show you his miraculous touch in the mundane moments of your daily emptiness. He is waiting to show you his presence in the midst of a long winter, a suffocating drought, a work week that rolls on like it’ll never end.
He’s waiting to remind you that he is still working, even in your emptiness. In fact, your emptiness just might be the prerequisite for your next miracle.
Maybe he’s waiting for you to come to the end of yourself so that he can step in and show you his all-sufficient grace.
He Will Transform Your Emptiness in Life if You Keep Your Eyes open
Too often, my problem is that I’m not watching for the blackbirds. My expectations for the empty water jars are too small, and instead of asking Jesus to take care of the situation, I start calling wine distributors to solve the problem on my own.
There’s a place for stepping up and taking action in our emptiness, but when I’ve done all I know to do, there is also a place to let go of discouragement and watch for the One who waits to bless me with his next miracle. If only I’ll keep my eyes open . . .
If you’re running on empty today, may today be the day when you pause for a shift of focus. Jesus cares. He is waiting to show up in this place and make his power known.
He’s there in the glint of sunrise reminding you of the Light that comes to push out the darkness.
He is there in the shift of these seasons reminding you that he has not stopped working in your life, transforming your soul.
He is there in the sale on apples when your budget is tight,
in the phone call from a friend on a sad day,
in the smiling eyes of a child,
and in the kind word from a stranger.
May today’s emptiness be the invitation for Jesus to touch your life.
A Free Online Devotional for Your Empty Days
I have a gift for you today: my online devotional Rays of Light for the Dark Days. This devotional offers inspiration and practical encouragement to help you weather life’s storms and embrace whatever God has placed before you. It is yours by clicking here.
These two books are free on Kindle Unlimited or available to purchase in print:
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book for free on the Kindle Unlimited plan or for 12.99 in print right here. This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
Calling all mothers and daughters!
Additionally, my 12-year-old daughter, Bekah, and I wrote a mother-daughter devotional book to help mothers and daughters grow closer together while connecting with God. Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith includes 60 devotions with Scripture, commentaries from both of us, conversation starters, and even a shared journaling section. Multitudes of mothers, daughters, mentors, and younger women are being transformed by this book! You can find your free Kindle Unlimited eBook or buy it in print for just 11.99 right here.
