Emptiness (Friday Devotional)

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness.

- Colossians 2:9-10a

Monday morning, I went to Wal-Mart for the first time in three weeks and saw shelves—where the rice was supposed to be, or the eggs, or the toilet paper—that were totally bare. Wednesday afternoon, I drove past the local movie theater and didn’t see a single car in the parking lot. And of course, Sunday morning I will preach to so few faces that I’ll be able to count them on one hand.

As a nation, we’re seeing a lot of emptiness right now, whether in our sports arenas or our restaurants or our schools. Places normally characterized by hustle and bustle are silent, and we’re having to get used to vacancies where there were once lines out the door. It’s an unsettling sight.

So in a time increasingly defined by emptiness, I’m grateful for the fullness which is ours in Jesus Christ. I’m grateful that in him we are reconciled to God, that in him we are given grace upon grace, that in him we are a new creation. I’m grateful that in Christ we are no longer broken vessels devoid of what we need most, and that instead we have abundant life.

The temptation in this time of social distancing and self-quarantine, this time when emptiness reigns, will be to let that emptiness seep into your soul. It will be far too easy to sink into bad habits, fall for comforting lies, and lean on unsteady crutches.

So as the emptiness endures, whether for days or weeks or even months, I encourage you to remember that you have been brought to fullness in Christ—and even when the crowds are gone, God is with us.