Empty-Handed?

Do you ever just feel empty? You know, those days when there doesn't seem to be any strength to dig deeper and make the day happen? I think as caregivers, we all face those times. And sometimes, there are seasons of empty feelings. Whether they come sporadically or they camp for a while, feeling empty emotionally, drained physically, and overwhelmed mentally can be hard to deal with.

In the first few verses of 2 Kings 4, we find the story of a widow. Her husband had been in the School of the Prophets, possibly mentored by Elisha. After he passed, she found herself overcome with debt. In that day, family members could be taken as slaves to work off debts. 

She had just lost her husband and was most likely still grieving the loss. Now, they are threatening to take her sons as slaves to pay off the father's debt. She came to the prophet, Elisha, for help. He answered her with a simple, seemingly unrelated question. What do you have in the house? Her first response tells us a lot about how she felt and how she was dealing. Nothing. 

We are all too familiar with the feeling of nothingness. It's empty and void and numbing all at the same time. However, she did add a phrase after her first response. She said nothing, except a jar of oil. If you've read the story, you know that her nothing became something in God's hand. Elisha told her to send her sons out to gather containers. They gathered all they could find, then started filling them from one small flask of oil. They didn't stop until they were all full. The (miracle) oil was then sold off to pay the debt her late husband had made.

Because we are believers, there is always something even in our nothingness. For many, oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit. For me, in this Old Testament account, it translates to God working with whatever little we have to create abundance. 

You know those days, too? The ones when we feel empty, but somehow we find the strength for the tasks caregiving requires? Yeah, that's the Holy Spirit working in us, God's good pleasure! We are never out of Him, even if we feel low and empty-handed. There is always enough peace, grace, mercy, and anything else we need from Him to keep us going for one more day!

Today, I will remind myself that even if I feel I have nothing left (on any or all levels), God is there to fill in the gaps. We can receive comfort from The Comforter, who will leave us feeling full of grace. Mercy and goodness are still chasing us down. And when we are so tired we have to stop to catch our breath, it just makes it easier for them to catch us. I will stop today and let Him catch me and refill me with His wonderful grace, mercy, and peace. Will you join me?

Check out my latest release. Command Your Morning part 2. This 31-day devotional is the second one in my series Command Your Morning. (Yes, I already started on part 3 - and you're gonna love it!) Take a 31-day journey through Psalm 119 as you practice setting your intention to point your heart at God each day. It's available on Kindle and Print. Check it out!