I Am Not Empty

“We have to think godly, to live godly, to be filled.”

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” Psalm 23:1

Stretched thin and weary, I sit down at a table during a parent meeting for one of the 3 sports teams my kids are on this spring. I came straight here from work. I listen to all the things we need to do as a family for this season (it's many). I get in the car with 2 of my 3, and we head for home. My husband and youngest won’t be at the house when we get there because the youngest also had practice, but it’s the offset time of the other two. I won’t lay eyes on them until close to bedtime. 

We walk in the door…..

Laundry on the couch.

“Mom, what’s for dinner?”

Dishes to do.

Vacuuming needs done.

Windows have a bit of film.

“Mom, I need new baseball pants for games.”

Dog and cat need tending to.

We’re out of milk.

“Mom, we’re doing a fundraiser for [insert school club]” 

Not enough Mom for all the things. The latter part of Psalm 23:1 must not apply to me because it certainly feels like I’m lacking. But wait, here’s what I KNOW: “The Lord is my shepherd”. In Biblical reference, the Lord being the shepherd to us means that He guides and protects. 

I know this…. I do. But I need my present to match my logic, my heart. 

In Hebrew, “I lack nothing” translates to “I am not empty”. So basically, I cannot have a Shepherd and be empty at the same time. The logic doesn’t logic. By being our Shepherd, He fills us with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (see what I did there? Galatians 5:22-23). He provides all the tools, and protection, and discernment to fill us. How do I get the physical to match the logical? We have to be noticers. We have to take every second of the busy, of the filled, of the chore, of the questions, of the tasks, and turn them to Him. We have to roll all of those around in what the Shepherd provides for us to fill us.  We have to think godly, to live godly, to be filled.

Action Steps: 

• Pray this prayer: Father, help me to be a noticer of You in all the things. Yes, even in the tasks that require rubber gloves and a toilet wand. Fill me with things of You, so there’s not an inch for anything else not useful to me. Help me to also notice when I need to reroute my tasks ever so slightly to accommodate some rest as well. Yes and Amen. 

• Live this out

Written by Abbey, Mom to 3 amazing athletes

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