Read Isaiah 7:14.
Around the holidays, we all know what it feels like to be stuffed. Many of us fill up our schedules with endless appointments, fill our closets with impractical purchases, or fill the Instagram feed with epic adventures. We can literally “fill up” at the touch of a button, finding more information, buying the latest technology, or streaming yet another episode of a show.
We live in a culture with more options, greater availability, and easier access than ever before, but we’re left feeling all the more empty. We’re realizing that we know how to stuff ourselves, but no one has taught us how to truly fill our souls. We see it in the trends – more and more people praising simplicity, minimalism, and mindfulness with the hopes of finding something meaningful to fill our hungry souls.
But, what if the secret to feeling fully satisfied is not in the process of filling up or emptying out? Rather, what if the secret to feeling content rests in the contents or substance with which we choose to fill our souls?
We see the escalating climax of the Biblical narrative when God chose to come, in the fullness of time, to fill one virgin’s womb with his personal presence. This “filling up” moment shifts our entire concept of experiencing God. As he reveals himself to us, God wants to be as close to our souls as humanly possible. He does not remain far off, but desires to fill us with himself. Filling up with God’s presence is the content that offers contentment, wholeness, and satisfaction.
REFLECT AND RESPOND
Today, begin by simply breathing in deeply and welcoming God’s presence within your whole self – body, mind, heart, and soul. Ask Him to fill you up with His presence and with contentment, wholeness, and satisfaction.
By Yvonne Biel
