Christian Living

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Emptiness?
© 2009

by

Stephen A. Peterson


Diane Chavez was a student in a freshman Algebra class at an Oklahoma City middle school. By the age of 14 Diane had tried smoking, drinking, prescription and other illicit drugs and was about to have her second child. In order to support her habits, Diane would break into houses in and around her neighborhood in an attempt to get the money she needed to support her activities and habits. She was finally caught in a house that had a silent alarm system. Diane was deemed out of control by a juvenile judge then placed in state custody. She was sent to the juvenile section of the Human Restoration facility at St. Anthony hospital. While confined, she came to decide that her life was nothing but a directionless, empty adventure.

In spite of all that Diane had been through and experienced, she sat in her counselor’s office joy written all over her face. When she was asked why, Diane replied: “Well, I’ve discovered something really amazing when I got up this morning. God put me here in this hospital and put this emptiness in me for a reason. And that reason was to make me hit bottom. Then to make me come closer to Him every day. I’ve also come to realize that I was looking for meaning and purpose in my life. I tried to fill it with temporary, meaningless things and activities. Now I’ve come to who Jesus is. That the only certainty in life is a relationship with Jesus and His way of life. A person will have challenges but I can now rest assured that I’m doin’ what He wants.”

There are moments in every person’s life when one questions what they are doing. They have what may commonly be referred to as an “empty feeling” or “a meaningless existence.” When one or both of these feelings occur, it is God’s way trying to draw you closer to Him. It is signal it is time to spend more time in prayer so that the Lord may re-charge your spiritual battery and thus your way of life.

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