[Certainty in the Uncertainty Series] During Empty Times: Fill Up with ChristExemplo

When Stillness Reveals Emptiness

Difficult times and seasons put things in perspective and open your eyes to see what is essential and what is not. When things get out of our “control,” we somehow discover that they were not under our control after all. Once everything that can be shaken in our lives is shaken, we wake up to realize that what seemed to be a nightmare is actually the reality we now find ourselves in.

During this troubling pandemic, we are surrounded by empty streets, empty airplanes, empty supermarket shelves, empty restaurants, schools, and universities–­–even Times Square is deserted! The stock market plummeted, the price of oil went down (below zero!), and people are losing their jobs just as fast as the numbers of people infected are announced. 

As the many activities and distractions that fill up our lives and make us feel full vanish into thin air, we are suddenly obliged to face the emptiness within our lives. We realize that we do not know how to be still. We have learned to keep ourselves busy so as not to feel nor address the underlying pain, traumas, and unresolved issues that we so earnestly try to cover up. We have lived in so much excess that we do not know how to live with little, or with just enough––some people need 50 rolls of toilet paper to feel secure! 

These strange days of social distancing are forcing us to be still and reveal a profound emptiness that can only be filled with Christ. Please do not waste this opportunity! Take advantage of this time and use it to grow. Be still and recognize your emptiness. Examine yourself. Allow this emptiness to show you what is being shaken. Learn to distinguish the difference between those things in your life that can be shaken and those that will never be shaken. There is a greater fullness to be experienced in the midst of emptiness. We can only be filled up once we recognize our emptiness. Trust in the fullness of Christ as your emptiness is revealed.

Pray

Lord, I feel empty and afraid. Please, fill me up! I surrender my life and circumstances under Your control. While everything around me is being shaken, I choose not to fear! I will be still in Your presence and recognize that You are God. You are my very present help amid trouble!