But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi;call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?”
Ruth 1:20-21
I know what it is like to feel empty; like you have lost everything and there is nothing left to give. Some of you may know that feeling as well. It's the feeling you have when you have done your best, and it's not good enough for others, or the feeling you have when your heart is broken. Some of you have felt it when things seem to be going so well and then something comes along suddenly to rock your world. This is what Ruth felt in the opening chapter of the book named for her. She left her home during a time of famine with her husband and two sons. They went to a place called Moab because they heard that there was food there. However, within years of their arrival there her husband and both of her sons died. She is left with two daughters-in-law, and one of them leaves as well. Ruth feels empty. She thinks she has nothing left, but she is wrong. What she poured into Naomi was priceless.
You may not have lost a husband or sons, but life has a way of making you feel empty at times. We may have lost positions or jobs. Some of us have lost faith or trust. Others have lost friendships or relationships, and these things have caused us to feel empty. For some, the day to day affairs of life can cause us to feel empty. Our calendars and planners show that our lives are full, but we have lost passion and zeal. Can I tell you that whatever we have lost God has placed purpose and destiny inside of us, and that makes us the total opposite of empty? We are full! Like Ruth we can feel empty, but that doesn't mean we are empty.
That is what I want to remind you of today, Dear Wife. You are full! God, Himself, has placed His Holy Spirit on the inside of you, and He wants you to "be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:19). We need to grasp this so that when we are confronted with the temptation to feel empty we can fight against it with truth. Yes, your calendars are full. Your days are full. There is a lot to do, but you are full of God and have everything you need to live this life.
You just need to remember that God is the One who fills us. This requires that we spend time in His presence and in His word allowing Him to do that. Our husbands can not fill us. Our jobs can not fill us. Our friends can not fill us. Actually, these relationships can sometimes leave us feeling empty, but we have the privilege of turning to Almighty God and allowing Him to restore our souls!
Let God fill you this week! Tell Him all of the places that you feel empty. Present them to Him and ask Him to fill them. Read His word concerning those areas. Spend time in worship, and trust that God will fill you! You have a full life, but I declare that you are a full wife!
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