“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
- Colossians 1:19-20 ESV
I was sitting on the porch this morning while my human drank coffee and read his Bible. I was watching a squirrel run up a tree with a walnut in his mouth. I guess he was going to store it for later. Squirrels are funny that way. They spend their lives gathering stuff they can’t possibly eat all at once.
Come to think of it, humans do the same thing.
They gather money, possessions, accomplishments, relationships, and just about anything else they think might make life feel complete. They figure if they can just get a little more, do a little better, or climb a little higher, they’ll finally be satisfied.
Meanwhile, I’m satisfied with a full food bowl, a patch of sunshine, and somebody scratching behind my ears. I may not be the smartest creature on the porch, but I know the difference between wanting something and needing something.
My human took a sip of coffee and said something about a cross-shaped hole in the human heart.
Now, I’ve dug my share of holes. Some were for bones, some were for fun, and a few were places I was specifically told not to dig. But I’ve never dug one shaped like a cross.
My human explained that God created us for Himself, and nothing in this world can take His place. We try filling that empty place with success, pleasure, popularity, money, or even good works. Some of those things are good in their proper place, but none of them can do what only Jesus can do.
The problem isn’t always that we’re filling our lives with bad things. Sometimes we’re asking good things to do what only God can do.
That’s a hole no amount of stuff can fill.
The cross reminds us that Jesus didn’t come just to make our lives a little better. He came to reconcile us to God. Our sin separated us from Him, but Jesus took our sin upon Himself, died in our place, and rose again so we could be forgiven and brought into a relationship with God.
The answer to the emptiness in our hearts isn’t trying harder to fill it ourselves. It’s surrendering to the One who gave His life to make us whole.
I looked at my human, then back at that squirrel. He was still climbing that tree, probably looking for another walnut.
I thought about barking some sense into him, but I figured I’d let him work it out on his own.
Here’s what I learned on the porch today: We can spend a lifetime chasing things that promise satisfaction but never deliver. We can fill our calendars, closets, bank accounts, and lives while leaving our souls empty.
Only Jesus can fill the cross-shaped hole in our hearts.
So, before you go chasing another squirrel, take a moment to ask yourself: Am I trying to fill the place in my heart that belongs to Jesus with something else?
Quit looking for what this world can never give you. Turn to Jesus, trust in what He has done on the cross, and let Him be what your heart has been missing all along.
PRAYER: Lord, help me stop looking to the things of this world to satisfy what only You can fill. Thank You for the cross, where Your love made a way for me to be forgiven and brought back to You. Help me trust You with all my heart. Amen.
Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
