Empty is an interesting word and one I have been thinking on lately. Maybe because my coffee cup needs refilling, or I just filled up my pickup with gas because the gas gauge dinged and lit up with the empty sign.
Have you ever thought about how many times we say or things we find empty? My love for coffee reminds me almost every day about empty. When my cup is empty I go to the pot and refill it until the pot is empty. When the pot is empty it means I am now full (of coffee).
My dog and cat remind me twice a day that their stomachs are empty as well as their food bowls. It is time to be fed, fill their bowls so they can eat. Their water bowls need filling each day as well so they can hydrate themselves.
And mentioning food, my stomach growls at certain times during the day telling me it is empty, and I need to eat. So to cease the growling I grab a snack or maybe a full meal. There is the effect that an empty house has. An empty house tends to be incredibly quiet. Now if you have children and they are at home when this occurs, it’s a definite sign of danger. But when the house is empty because of the “Empty Nest” the silence can be deafening. You suddenly have a longing for the noise and chaos once again.
Relationships are sometimes known for making you come up or feel empty. It may seem you do all the giving but receive nothing in return or your expectations are high, not being met, and you feel empty.
Relationships are not the only thing that can leave you empty. After a big victory, major achievement, milestone, or big event, you can have a let-down and feel…well…empty. The promotion at work, the grand vacation with the family, winning a game or even championship, starting the new job or new life with that special someone all are exciting. But then one day you just have this empty feeling.
Emptiness is not just a physical, emotional, or psychological thing. It can be spiritual as well. Just as we find emptiness in houses and vehicles, romance and relationships, promotions and victories, we can find emptiness in our spiritual lives at various times. At times God seems so close and other times a million miles away. We can attend a worship service, conference, camp, or event where everyone around us seems to be full and enthusiastic while we are left empty. Or we have attended one of the above, been on top of the world one moment and then the next we are empty.
Emptiness is all around us. And all the emptiness I just described is a little bit depressing (I re-read what I just wrote). That is not my point and goal at all. We are almost two weeks past Easter, and I am reminded of the emptiness. Not the emptiness of a big crowd coming to worship on Easter and now is gone until Christmas.
No, this is an emptiness of something missing that should be there.
What is it that should be there? Let me try to explain it this way. What should be in the cemetery? Well, graves, right? Be even more detailed in the answer… bodies…dead people. What???
Well, all this empty talk is because of an empty grave! On that Sunday after the crucifixion the grave stone was rolled away, and Jesus was resurrected. The ladies came to the tomb, and it was empty. Peter and John came to the tomb, and it was empty. The grave clothes were laying at the foot of the place Jesus lay, and the face cloth was folded in a place by itself. Jesus was gone.
The point? Sometimes empty is not a bad thing. In our lives the emptiness can bring a longing that we can go after and obtain to fill that emptiness. It can also bring back some amazing memories that bring us happiness. Where the emptiness brings hurt, we can put safeguards that keep us from repeating actions that will bring the hurt. Jesus’ grave being empty, what is the significance there? First and foremost, He is not dead. He defeated death, the final enemy. Secondly, if He is not in the grave, where is He? He is at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. And thirdly, that empty grave was the fulfillment of all Scripture about Messiah. Because He lives, so can we. Because He is in heaven, we can be, too. As His grave was empty, so will ours be one day (should we die before rapture) in the resurrection.
Being empty is not all bad. It can be great!
Running on Empty, Bro. Tim
