Emptiness… and Fulfillment!

This week at my school, we were given a special opportunity to take part in a program with STARS. It was mainly about stopping bullying, kindness, and becoming less judgmental. It was a two day program that consisted of half of our grade going on one day and the other half going on the next. On the day we weren't in the program, we sat in teacher's classrooms and did "busy work" like copying definitions and doing worksheets on things we had known since like 3^rd grade. I remember sitting in the classroom on Wednesday afternoon, after almost an hour of copying full dictionary definitions and writing sentences in silence, and the feeling I felt wasn't really bored. It was more "empty". I couldn't really understand why we were spending so much time copying definitions of words we had known for years. (I still don't, by the way) And so, as I sat there in silence staring at the clock and wondering how much longer I could really take the emptiness of the busy work, I came a realization about my faith.

One thing that's great about God, our Savior and Redeemer is his Holy gift of love. We never ever feel empty when we are filled with the joy of Christ. We can still feel sad, afraid, even sometimes a little bit alone, but we never feel empty. We are filled with emotion as we are filled with the gift of Jesus Christ. I know as a teenager it can be hard to pray. It may be finding time to pray that's difficult, or even just the actual prayer itself. We've all had those moments where we really couldn't concentrate and we felt like we were just talking to the ceiling when we prayed. Sometimes we think our prayers should be answered sooner or in a different way. I know there have been times when I asked God for guidance, and it seemed that He just never answered. But looking back, I really see that it was me who never found the answer. Prayer is a conversation with God. You can't just ask God for guidance then wait for the heavens to open up and you to hear his voice coming from a burning bush. That's just not how things usually happen these days (not to say they couldn't, it's just not every day that we witness these). So when you search for God's call, when you search for a purpose or guidance in your life, stay open and listen. Listen to what Jesus is telling you. True prayer is a two way conversation, not a monologue.

So back to the subject of emptiness…. If you feel empty in your prayer life, take the time to embrace Jesus. With Christ's love and Christ's spirit, you'll never feel empty in faith. Fulfillment is a great thing. Whenever prophecies were fulfilled in the New Testament, it was a great thing. In our lives, the fulfillment will be our ultimate goal: Salvation. So stay open to God's call and work towards the goal of fulfillment in your life: Salvation in Jesus Christ. We've never been to heaven, but just from reading the words of our Lord, we know that its well worth the wait and struggles of our lives.