Words of Faith: Don’t fill the void with things of this world

“What are you looking for?”

This was Jesus’ question for two men who start following behind him one day (John 1:35-42). They had been disciples of John the Baptist. But one day as Jesus passed by, John proclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God.” With that, these two men left John and followed Jesus, literally.

Noticing that he now had two people tailing him, Jesus turned around to find out why they were following. “What are you looking for?” he asked. From their answer you can tell that they were not really sure. “Where are you staying?” is all they could find to say. “Come and see” Jesus invited. So they went with Jesus and saw the place where he was staying and they remained with him that day.

What were these men looking for when they started following Jesus that day? We really don’t know. They might not have known themselves. Perhaps they sought a sense of peace in their lives or forgiveness for past sins or unconditional acceptance. Maybe they were looking hope for the future. Whatever they were seeking, they seemed to have a longing for something that would make their lives whole.

“What are you looking for?”

This is Jesus’ question for us also. Perhaps it’s for a sense of self-worth or for forgiveness of sins that can’t be left behind or for unconditional love. Maybe we need a new start, hope for the future. We all have a longing for wholeness. It’s the longing in every human heart. And there is only one who can make us whole. The Philosopher Blaine Paschal put it this way, “Inside every person is a God-shaped vacuum which cannot be filled by the things that are created, but only by the creator.”

Some of us spend a lifetime trying to fill that void: with possessions, with control over others, with power in the world around us. But none of these will satisfy. As a young person I was always looking for that thing that would fill the void. I tried to please others: my parents, my teachers, my friends. I thought if I could only meet others expectations I would feel like I was good enough. I would fill that void. I tried to fill the void by being successful. I worked hard in school. I held leadership positions in student government and in clubs. I thought if I could just be successful, I could fill that void. I tried to fill that void with money. This led to a career that was financially rewarding but still the void was there.

This is when I learned that the things of this world will never make us whole.

But the life of Jesus will. When Jesus invited those first disciples to “come and see,” he invited them to come and experience his life, the life of God. Andrew and Simon went and stayed with Jesus. They listened. They watched. They learned. And their lives were changed. They must have found what they were looking for because they stayed with Jesus for three years.

Jesus invites us also to “come and see.” He invites us to remain with him: to get to know him, to listen to him, to learn from him. We do this by spending time with him: by going to Church each week to worship, by listening to him as we read the Bible, by sharing our life with him in prayer. We spend time with Jesus as we talk to others, as we hear what they know and we share what we know. It takes time. It takes intentionality. But when we spend time with Jesus, we will meet the one who John called the “Lamb of God”: the one who reveals God’s undying love for us, the one who forgives our sins, the one who makes us whole.

I finally found that wholeness that I sought when I stopped trying to fill the void with things of this world, and instead turned to Jesus. When I spent time with Jesus, when I allowed him to lead me, when I made decisions that reflected his priorities and not the world’s, then I found wholeness. Then that void was filled.

When we accept Jesus’ invitation to “come and see,” our lives will be transformed. We will know the life that God created us to live. And then that void that creates such longing will be filled. We will know wholeness, life filled with the life of God, revealed to us in Son, Jesus Christ.

This story was originally published February 22, 2017 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Words of Faith: Don’t fill the void with things of this world."