On a pleasant August evening, as I was surveying the maturing tomatoes, green peppers and basil, I spied this huge, perfectly formed pumpkin, ripening under the protection of prickly leaves. I envisioned it adorning my front porch, or as part of an autumnal harvest display, in all its orange glory. Just as quickly as I had found this beauty, my hopes were dashed. On closer inspection I noticed that insects, or pumpkin-flesh-eating vermin, had eaten their way through the bottom to the succulent innards, rendering it useless for a jack-o-lantern or pie. My Halloween plans had become a “Hollow”een let down. From the outside, the pumpkin looked healthy, but I knew it would soon collapse on itself as the invaders continued feasting on its interior support structure.
It’s interesting, that God should point this out to me, because I had just used the term, hollow, to describe a young man I know. Those who see him on a daily basis may think he looks normal, but I could perceive spiritual intruders whose goal it is, is to see him cave in. Do you know anyone like that, or maybe it’s you. A person who puts on a good face to the world, but is aching, longing for something, but not sure what that something is. The constant ache soon breaks down the spiritual flesh giving easy entrance to all sorts of trespassers; drugs, alcohol, depression, anything that will temporarily fill the aching void.
It is my belief, and I’m not alone in this area of thought, that God has created all of us with this hollow, empty space. St. Augustine and Blaise Pascal both wrote about it. “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person, and it can never be filled by any created thing. It can only be filled by God, made known through Jesus Christ.” (Blaise Pascal). Before we truly come into a personal, intimate relationship with our Redeemer, everyone tries to fill that void with all manner of stuff; some good, others destructive. When this space is filled incorrectly, it can lead to spiritual, and in some cases, physical death. Even as we attempt to squash the proverbial square peg into a round hole, God continues to call us.
The poor pumpkin has no recourse, it will die, but we, when we earnestly listen and heed his call, the hole will be plugged, the void filled and eternal life will be ours. Paul knew what it meant to have that void filled, and here is his prayer for all of us: “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” Ephesians 3:16-19. There’s no reason to be hollow, when God longs to fill us.
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