Daily Doses of Gospel "PiLLs": Have You Gone Out Full Only to Return Empty?

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Have You Gone Out Full Only to Return Empty?

Read the Book of Ruth

How many of us have gone out ready to win the world, full of hope, dreams, and ambitions only to return gleaning sheaves of empty hopes and promises? Raped and victimized by this thing call life. That education you invested so much time and money or that marriage of many years that ended up in heart-breaking divorce, the ministry your poured into, the people you faithfully served that turned out to be a disappointment, the business deal that never took off, or the business that went bankrupt? How about the dream of motherhood and life-long parenting, only for it to be shattered by miscarriages, the inability to conceive, or death?

Have you gone out full like Naomi, which means "pleasant, lovely, and delightful", only to come back Mara, "bitter and sad"? Naomi knew the joy of going out full and the devastation of coming back empty. She knew what it felt like to have dreams dissipate like smoke rings in thin air. Does this sound anything like you?

Jeremiah 29:11 speaks of God's designed plan for our lives. He has a purpose for our lives, but it is only when we acknowledge Him will that plan be revealed. Life is a grindstone, and whether it grinds you down or polishes you depends on what you are made of and your view of God. Do you believe that God is in control of your most difficult circumstance? Your circumstance may have surprised you, but it didn't catch God by surprise.

If you've gone out like Naomi only to come back empty, then may I suggest that you give the broken pieces of your wounded life to the only one who can put it back together again. God can heal a broken heart, but He has to have all the pieces.