Have you ever run out of fuel in your vehicle leaving you stranded? It happened to me one time while riding with a friend. He ran out of gas and the engine stalled. The ironic thing is the guy was rich. He just neglected to stop long enough to refuel. We had to push his vehicle to the nearest gas station. Our cars and trucks have gauges to let us know when the fuel is running low.
People don't have gauges to indicate they are running low of emotional, spiritual, and physical fuel. Many are living on empty. I'm not sure we could even call it living. People are going through the motions coasting on the fumes of past God encounters, and all the while they are empty, dry, and maintaining daily routines robotically. Empty people are often emotionally numb. Unable to feel deeply.
This can happen as a result of burnout. It can be caused by repeated trials that eventually wear a person down. It can be the outcome of a life of trauma. No matter the cause, there are empty people walking all around us. People who appear to be alive on the outside, but they feel dead on the inside. Empty people are often hurting people. They may not even be able to express what is going on inside of them. They just know they are not right on the inside and in the mind.
Well meaning believers may exhort them to read their Bible and to pray their way through the emptiness. The empty person may still do those things and still feel they do not benefit. What is a person to do when they feel empty? The enemy who only comes to steal, kill, and destroy [Jn 10:10] wants to isolate people in their emptiness. What they really need is someone to listen, someone to care, and someone who will not try to fix them. That is not our job. It is God's.
Empty people need to reflect on activities that bring joy and refuel them. They may need to alter their routines to include these activities. Mark Batterson is an author and pastor and he writes that sometimes we need a change of pace and a change of place to get us back on track. Maybe a walk slowly taking in the scenery or take out a book to read for pleasure. Maybe lunch with a friend is a good medicine to refuel your spiritual, emotional, and spiritual tank. It may sound kind of silly, but it is amazing how a good nap can recharge our batteries and give us a fresh perspective. Empty people have little left to give. Refueled people are a tremendous help and blessing to those they encounter including empty people.
My friend did not stop long enough to refuel his SUV all those years ago. It ended up costing him more in the long run. Maybe you to stop to do some refueling too before you are completely empty.
