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As a man well into my adult life, experience has taught me a lot of things. It has given me confidence in my career, a mindset to succeed, an ability to not quit, and a perspective I truly don’t take lightly. When you’re young you don’t have much perspective. And to make matters worse, you don’t even know that you don’t have much perspective. Perspective is nowhere to be seen when we’re young, dumb, and think we know it all. When we think we have it all figured out.
Many times, I see a young person act like they have all the answers and think to myself, ‘Life will teach you differently’. I don’t fault them; I was there too. Looking back, I can only ask myself, I wonder how many times my father watched me and thought to himself shaking his head, ‘Son, life will teach you differently’.
Unfortunately, only as time goes by, does perspective seem to bring itself from a distance far away up to where we are in our older age. In doing so, it tends to hit us like a two-by-four square in the forehead, rushing in the truth of how dumb and naive we really were. I wonder just how entertaining it would be if I could watch a show of my 50-year-old self having a conversation with my 20-year-old self. I am confident I would put that young man to shame. I am sure my 20-year-old self would be surprised to hear what my 50-year-old self had to say knowing that would be him 30 years later. The young man would be shocked to put it lightly. I am sure there is a comedy movie in there somewhere that would turn into a box-office hit.
The most important thing perspective has given me is to look at my life and the world around me and see that we all have a void that needs to be filled. Sadly, we look in all different directions, trying to fill the void with anything and everything only to fall short at every turn. We try to build wealth because if we can just be rich, we will be happy. We try to be famous because if we can just be well-known we will be happy. We try to gain power or control over something because if we can just be in power, we will be happy. We try to be healthy because if we are just healthy, we will be happy. We try to have fun because if we can just have fun, we will be happy. We try to own nice things because if we can just own nice things, we will be happy. We try to find love because if we can just find love, we will be happy. We try to find friendships because if we can just find friendships, we will be happy. We try to find purpose because if we can just find purpose, we will be happy. On and on and on and on…the human wants are endless.
What I find interesting is that in pursuit of all these things, there are countless examples of where none of the above is ever enough. It is not even enough if ALL of the above is obtained. We try to fill a void that we simply cannot fill. How many times have we heard of a wealthy celebrity who seemed to have the world and all its riches at his or her fingertips only to heartbreakingly commit suicide? We look up to those people and scratch our heads saying, “Man, they had everything you could ever want in this life. I wish I had all that they had. How in the world could they ever commit suicide?” Yet, in asking that question we don’t ever stop and ask ourselves, “If all the fame and fortune can’t bring you happiness, why is that?” And more importantly, “Then what can?”
The sad truth is we human beings fail at filling this void because we avoid the elephant in the room. The only answer that can fill this void we have. I call it The Unfillable Void, aka, The God Void. What I mean by this is quite simple. The pursuit of everything in this life without God will turn up empty. The pursuit of everything in this life with God first is where true joy, peace, contentment, and genuine happiness will be. God is the only One who is the answer to ALL of it for us. To put that in perspective, we are so feeble in that we can only see what is in front of us, yet God, sees ALL things before, in front of, and after us. We have a Creator who knew us before we were born and knows our future. And the best of all is this: God is the only One who will be with you 24/7. He is the only one that can fulfill that heavy lifting for us. I can’t be there 24/7 for those important to me and neither can you. And no one close to you can be there for you 24/7 either. There is only ONE person that can do that and that person is God. I am so thankful that in the darkest moments in my life when all those that love me simply couldn’t be there for me at all times, my God was and still is. And when great things happen in my life that cause me to celebrate, there is also nothing like celebrating with God. To take time to acknowledge Him in giving Him all praise, worship, and thanks for the blessing given to me. It simply doesn’t get any better than that my friends!
The greatest thing about God always being there is that He is there for you and me in our life whether we want him there or not and whether we know it or not. In other words, God always wants to be there for you and me, something that He can accomplish with ease, yet He gives you and me the freedom to choose or reject him. In an instant, He will be there when we call on Him, not because He is a puppet God where we can pull the strings. Don’t get that confused. But instead, because He is a loving, forgiving God who wants YOU. How sad is it that the God of the universe is just waiting to be a part of our lives and yet so many times we search around this world looking for other things that simply cannot suffice. And when whatever we are looking for fails, we blow right on by God once again chasing the next empty promise this life has to offer. Nothing is more heartbreaking than when one goes through their whole life having never cried out to the One who created them to say, “ok God, I want and choose you! I am sick of running down roads that lead to empty promises.” That person comes and goes in this life without ever experiencing true comfort and peace in the God who is! I can’t even imagine the rush of sorrow, despair, and eternal weeping there is when that person stands before God when they’ve breathed their last breath of life here and is now faced with the truth they so badly missed!
I am here to tell you that there has only been One who has walked with me my whole life. Who has always been there for me, both in good times and bad. Through both my triumphs and failures. Through my celebrations and tragedies. Throughout the ups and downs of my life, there has only been One who has had broad enough shoulders to always answer my call, broad enough shoulders to always carry me through, and broad enough shoulders to die to conquer my sin, save me from eternal death and reconcile me to Himself. That One is the God of the Bible. The only true living God. There is nothing that comes close to a relationship with Him in my life.
And on a quick side note: why is dying for my sin really needed anyway? The answer is quite simple. It is because his perfection, his righteousness, and his justice require it. The honest truth is, you and I, might not like that requirement. However, we don’t get to make the rules and tell the Creator what his rules should and must be. How ridiculous is that? Just give that a pondering thought. Better yet, go create something and then ask yourself how dumb it would be if whatever you created now wanted to give you the rules of how things should be. C’mon now, put yourself in God’s shoes. Once you do that it seems pretty silly now doesn’t it? At the end of the day, we must submit to God’s rules. Whether we want to admit it or not, we don’t get to demand our own rules from Him.
To bring this back full circle, what are you chasing that will lead to empty promises without God in your life? Is it a job, a relationship with a family member, friend, or significant other? Is it fame or wealth or even health? Is it material things? If you are running the race in this life chasing all these things while trying to ignore The Unfillable Void in your life, The God Void, then every road will always turn up empty. However, with God in your life, all of the above will have a whole different meaning. They might not always go perfectly, but with God, you will always be fulfilled regardless of your circumstances as a relationship with Him is all that will matter in the end. And along the way, those other things we want are that much more fulfilling when they come with God always being first.
To finalize here, I know this because I am living it. My life is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination nor has it been. I am a human being dealing with all life’s struggles. But here is what I do know: I have a unique, personal, relationship with the God who made me and in him, I always find fulfillment and comfort. There has never been a time when my God has not carried me. He can do the same for you too, I promise you.
Have Character!
J. Noah Russell
