There is something in the human spirit that causes each of us to hunger for something more. Across the world and through the ages, mankind has looked outward and upward for a deeper meaning to life, something that shows us that we are not alone. There is an empty space inside each person that yearns to be filled. We all know the feeling of being lonely even in the middle of the crowd. We want something real to believe in.
There are so many paths to take looking for meaning. Some of us fill it with things of the world. Whether it is a relationship (or many brief flings), money, possessions or whatever, none of these fill that spot. Having attained whatever it is a person desires, they then turn to looking for something new.
Others numb themselves to the speaking of their spirit. Drugs, alcohol, work or even a hobby that consumes their time and drowns out their desire for more. However, when the drugs dry up and the alcohol leaves them jittery, when the job is lost or the hobby turns cold, they are right back looking for the way to fill the emptiness inside.
There are still others who want to deny this need for deeper meaning. They want to say there is nothing more. That everything that is is in the here and now. They deny that they have a spirit, merely a physical body and a brain.
Even through their denial, they are actively trying to drown out their spiritual needs. They look to the heavens to look into the past. They want to see the beginning of it all for themselves but will not admit there was a creator. They are looking for a beginning that never existed as it appears in their minds.
Finally, there are those who look for spiritual meaning. They can look here and there, following the trend of the moment. They can look for a god that has history. They can find spiritual meaning in their inner self. They can believe in many gods and the ability to be reincarnated to come back and live life over and over again.
With these religions, the individual has to gain right standing with their good works – whether it be physical deeds, monetary gifts or even the society in which you were born. The problem is that the empty spot is still empty. None of this will ever fill that space.
I have seen these scenarios play out time and time again. I have been on several of these false paths. Loved ones have been on others. You will search and seek and, for a time, think you have found the answer. Then you realize it was all a house of cards and then you move on, searching once again.
For me, I realized that all of it was worthless. There was nothing I could do to wipe away my past. It was there in front of my eyes and mind day in and day out. It was as if I carried the weight of my sins as a burden throughout the day. I couldn’t share how I felt and the things that I had done because I knew others would turn away from me in revulsion. Worse still, others would encourage me in my path of self-destruction.
I needed help.
I found that help. I found forgiveness. I found redemption. I found purpose. I found Someone who loved me no matter what I had done. I found Someone who would help me going forward.
I called out to God and asked, “If you are really God, then show me, give me something to believe in. I want to lay my burdens down and have someone to help me.” He never fails to answer this plea and He led me to my answers right in my living room. For me, it was as simple as turning on the television to a Christian channel.
Once I accepted Jesus, I found that the He fit that empty space inside. He also brought the Holy Spirit to dwell inside me. He’s there in good times and He’s there in bad times. He’s there whenever I need help. He’s there when I have strayed off course and want to find my way back again.
It’s been decades since I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. Unlike the false answers that don’t satisfy and leave you wanting more, Jesus has been, is, and will always be the answer to my soul’s search. I have never felt the need for anything else.
I have doubts from time to time as all Christians do (whether they admit it or not.) When I am in the midst of that, I ask God to give me a renewed spirit, to quiet my doubts and to give me assurance. He never fails to answer this prayer.
When troubles arise, I can cry out like the psalmist and ask God to help me. To carry me through the crisis and defeat the threat against me. That doesn’t mean that God gives me everything I ask for. He knows what is right and perfect for me to have. He also knows that in times of crisis and challenge, my faith grows stronger and deeper.
God is the piece that is missing from our souls. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, we have been born with a dead spirit. Prior to that, man communed with God on a spiritual basis. He was their creator and their father. When they sinned, by breaking the one rule God had given them, their spiritual connection to Him was broken forever.
As mankind could never repair the breach that sin had placed between the perfection of God and sin nature of man, God had to step in to repair it himself. God is made up of a trinity, wholly separate and still are one God. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Because God loved mankind so much and wanted to have communion with His creation once again, God (the Father) sent his Son (Jesus), to be born of a woman and to live life as we all do. He was tempted as we are. He felt joy and sadness, just as we do. The difference was that while Jesus was entirely man, He was also entirely God at the same time. He didn’t fall into the temptations that each of us do. He lived a life without sin. That made Him the perfect and blameless sacrifice. The only sacrifice that could and would forever heal the breach between God and man.
When Jesus died, He took on the sins of everyone. Those who lived before and since. He hung on the cross while God rained down on Him the wrath punishment of all mankind’s sins. For the first time in his life, the connection between Jesus (the Son) and God (the Father) was broken. It was that loss of connection that caused Jesus to cry out to ask God why He had forsaken him.
Once He had taken the full measure of punishment for our sins, He then said “It is done” and willingly died. While He had been put to death by men, dying was His choice. He could have stopped it all with one word. But then the breach would forever be left between mankind and God. He had to die to heal the connection between God and man. He died for our sins but then, as the only man to have lived a sinless life, He rose again three days later because having lived sinless, death had no hold on him. In doing so, He not only healed the breach but also gave mankind a way to eternal life.
He has the gift of grace to offer. He wants nothing in return – no promises, no actions, no good works will pay for this gift. He gives you a free gift of forgiveness for all of your sins, past and future and assure you of eternal life with Him. All you have to do is accept it and Jesus as your Savior and make Him Lord of your life. Ask Him to guide you and let others know of what He has done for you.
If you do so, you will be born again with a new spirit. One that is connected to God as it was originally meant to be. Your search will be over. The emptiness will be gone. You will never be alone again.
1 John 4:15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.