Longing

Empty Spaces   –   24″ x 24″   –   marker on paper   –   Advent, 2008.

In the church, we’ve just entered the season of Advent, while in the world of marketing, this is already ‘The Christmas Season.’  All around us people are caught up in a whirlwind of shopping and planning and holiday preparations.  The merchants are clamoring for our attention and our dollars with ever brighter and louder ads, ever bigger special deals and deeper discounts. Free shipping!  Half price!  Gift with purchase!  Even those who don’t celebrate Christmas cannot escape the uproar.
And in the midst of it all, many of us find that we feel a certain emptiness.  We’re not comfortable with this emptiness, and we tend to ignore it or to attribute it to stress.  Perhaps we try to hide it by even more cheer and baking and shopping.  We desperately long for a sense of peace and fulfillment; we buy scented candles, take yoga classes, read self-help books, surround ourselves with friends, give to charity.  And still we feel empty.
Here’s the good news; this empty feeling does not mean there is something wrong with us.  We are actually built that way.  God created us with this empty space inside us, just so that he can fill it with the gift of Himself.  The space is infinitely deep, so nothing else we toss at it will satisfy our longing.  Even what we might think of as ‘the good things in life;’ family, nice possessions, good food and wine, a steady job, smart children and a faithful spouse, philanthropy, education, a big bank balance; these things will never fill that void that is built into our nature.
So if you find yourself feeling empty during this season, do not despair!  You are living in the spirit of Advent, which is a spirit of longing for the Lord.