Looking For a “Fix” Or a “Fill?”

I’m all alone in my house.

The kids are at school.  My husband is at work.  I’m in my comfy chair with the fireplace warming the room.  It’s snowing outside and the pond behind our house looks like an ice rink.  I can smell the coffee brewing in the kitchen and all I can hear is the filter in the aquarium.

It’s heavenly.

I don’t have to try to hear over the noise.  I’m not fighting for attention.  There are no small people tugging on me to feed them or scratch their back.

While I love how well my family fills our home with excitement, I relish times like these because I can sit and soak and listen for God to speak.  It’s just me and Him and I am a captive audience.

It’s how I fill my bucket.

The truth is that we all need our buckets filled.  All too often, we neglect them and they dry up.  And when we are bone-dry, there is nothing left to give those we love.

Sometimes we run to the world for a fix:

• We dive into food for comfort.
• We read trashy novels to escape.
• We spend money we don’t have.
• We drink to numb ourselves.
• We visit sites on the Internet that we don’t have business visiting.

Make no mistake, the world will be ready and waiting to offer a quick fix.  We can shop, eat, drink, read and watch things that promise to “make us feel better” but fall short every time.  If we feel satisfied at all, it’s fleeting.

But God.

Our Heavenly Father provides more than a temporary fix.  He has promised to fill your need for Him when you ask.  Philippians 4:19 tells us so.  “My God will richly fill your every need in a glorious way through Christ Jesus.”

While our flesh tells us to feast on the worldly offerings, we know that only God can offer a lasting way to fill our bucket.  Maybe it’s as simple as being more intentional in asking God for more of Him.  Consider that your bucket might be filled by:

• Spending time in the mountains or at the ocean admiring His creativity in nature
• Dancing around the house listening to praise music (or Big Hair bands of the 80’s)
• Gathering friends for food and fun and talking about how God is working in your lives
• Journaling your thoughts
• Reading the Bible or some other book by a Christian author
• Spending time talking to God
• Meditating on a particular scripture and breathing Him in

When you’re feeling empty, take the time to replenish your bucket with the One who will fill you to overflowing.

Friends, everything else is a short-lived fix.

©2011 careyscotttalks.com