We can feel empty because of unmet emotional needs.We are created to be in relationship with God....in fact, we all experience some level of emptiness without this vital relationship....you, me, the unbeliever next door....all of us.
Our culture rarely suggests God as an answer to combating feelings of emptiness. Instead, it promotes materialism and false solutions.
The message is shouted, advertised, sold, and publicized again and again: More stuff is the answer to your longings. Empty? Get more.
The truth is that only a personal, intimate relationship with God can satisfy the emptiness we feel. We were created to want more of God. Apart from God, we won't find satisfaction.
Through community and relationships we meet our needs for love and intimacy. We cannot do it alone.
The farther I am from God, the greater the intensity of emptiness. The greater the intensity of emptiness, the stronger the need to fill the void with "things" that ultimately fall short. This sounds like a vicious cycle that can only be relieved as I choose to move toward God. The good news is that He is always moving toward me.
So, what's been filling your void?
This is such pitfall ... and a great deception, since all of the things, experiences, etc. we try to fill our lives with so often leave us empty. I think there is a line from Psalms - "In your presence the fullness of joy." This is certainly a daily challenge.
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