I love my sister-in-law Jen. She’s nice. She’s pretty. She’s fun. She has that sweet, kind, gentle-teacher way about her. But bless her heart! She has a dirty little secret. She lives on E. Well at least her gas tank does. She’s always empty and it’s a problem. For real. If we were all betting sorts, she’d be a sure thing! If you laid a bet on her being on E right at this very moment, odds are, you’d be a winner!
Living on E. It’s a thing for Jen, and sadly it’s a thing for us. Whether we’re talking about depleted Moms and Dads, bank accounts, a stressful work environment, or broken hearts and spirits, we’re all nearing E from time to time.
My heart has been heavy for several families these last few weeks. Sadness and loss threaten to overwhelm them. Threaten to leave them on E. But they all are running to God. Claiming his promises. They’ve allowed Jesus to lay the foundation of their lives and even though it crumbles, they are standing on it. It’s really something!
As Paul writes, we may be hard-pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down. We may be getting awfully low. But this is what we are not! We are not crushed. Not in despair. Not abandoned. And not destroyed. We are not on E!
The Christmas season is upon us and 2018 is coming! Some of us will ride through singing Jingle Bells and sipping hot chocolate by a crackling fire, while our darling children quietly play by our feet. But the other 99.9% of us will most likely have some challenges and stress. And some of us will feel like our hearts may break. Some of us may feel like we’re on E. Empty as Jen’s gas tank.
This is my foundation, as I hope it is yours as well. In the beginning, He created us. Nope, can’t prove it. (Just as someone believing in evolution can’t prove everything came from nothing.) But I believe it. And then when we were almost empty, He came as a baby and died as our Savior. How did that happen? I do not know. But I believe it. And I’m so thankful for it. He filled us up. Refueled us. Revived us. Redeemed us.
He promised to come back. Not as a baby this time, but as our Almighty God who will take us through eternity. Can I imagine it? Nope. No way! But I believe it. And that great hope is what singularly keeps us from being on empty. He has not abandoned us. Because of Jesus, we are not crushed or destroyed. We are not on E!