​When Empty Is Actually Full.

There was a time when I looked at other people’s lives and quietly asked God, “Why them, and not me?”

I watched people build relationships outside of marriage, make choices that didn’t reflect the life I was trying to live, and yet they seemed happy. They had someone to come home to. They laughed together. They traveled together. Meanwhile, I was trying to honor God, waiting, praying, remaining faithful, and wondering why my own life felt so difficult.

If I’m honest, there was a moment when I questioned whether any of it mattered.

Then I remembered Psalm 73.

Asaph wrestled with the very same question. He looked around and saw people who seemed to prosper while he struggled to remain faithful. He almost lost heart because he compared his life to theirs. But everything changed when he entered the presence of God. His perspective shifted.

That psalm became my mirror.

Years ago, I made some of those same choices. I looked for love in places where God had not called me to look. I tried to fill the emptiness with relationships that were never meant to heal my heart. For a moment, life looked good on the outside.

But it was empty.

No amount of affection could replace the peace my soul was searching for.

Today, my life may look empty to some people.

I’m single.

I’m still fighting financial battles.

I’m still waiting for some prayers to be answered.

Some days, I still cry.

But this time…

My life is not empty.

It is full.

Full of the presence of the One who has never abandoned me.

Full of His grace when I feel weak.

Full of His peace when I don’t understand tomorrow.

Full of His mercy every morning.

Full of His unconditional love.

I have learned that there is a difference between looking fulfilled and being fulfilled.

One comes from circumstances.

The other comes from Christ.

If God blesses me with a husband one day, I will thank Him with all my heart.

But I no longer want a relationship to become my identity or my source of completeness.

Because I have already found the One who fills every empty place in my soul.

Like Asaph, I can now say that drawing near to God is my greatest good. Not because life has become easy, but because I have discovered that His presence is worth more than anything this world could ever offer.

Today, my life may not look like success to everyone else.

But I know something they cannot see.

While my life once looked full, it was empty.

Now my life may look empty, but it has never been more full.

Full of His Name.

Full of His promises.

Full of His faithfulness.

Full of His love for me.

And in Him, I have found everything my heart was searching for all along.

“Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” — Psalm 73:25–26

— Maria Castaneda©️

Faith 2B Strong OnPurpose™ 🤍