Thar's a Hole In My Bucket Dear Liza
There are holes everywhere! My husband has at least a dozen pair of boots with a hole in the sole. His jeans constantly get holes in them. Dogs dig holes. The streets around here keep getting bigger and bigger holes. Some holes are hard to patch, others are not repairable at all, but it seems that most holes have one thing in common; the need to be filled.
Soles have to be replaced or the footwear could be too far gone and the best thing to do is move on. I keep patching the jeans until it's silly. Patches often seem to cause a bigger hole. Fill a hole that the dog made and they'll likely just dig a bigger one and the streets...well, we all know how that goes. At any rate, effort is typically made to fill holes whether by reconstructing, patching or with a good filler that will hopefully last. Or like in the song, Henry had a long list of problems just trying to fix one hole in one stinkin' bucket.
Our hearts have holes that need to be filled. We pour out our hearts to others and when we lose someone we love it can feel as if our heart is empty. Sometimes the hole in our heart can be very evident. At times it can feel like a huge, vast, dark space and we're not sure how to remedy that ache. I don't like the thought of an empty heart.
I know people who wander around stuffing things into their heart space trying to make the pain stop or the ache subside and often they find something that will help temporarily: substance abuse, shopping excursions, food, the list goes on and on but the emptiness keeps returning. Sometimes, it gets bigger and deeper causing more pain and more wrong attempts at fixing.
Ecclesiastes reveals that this practice has gone on for ages. Solomon is one example; he had it all! Wealth, houses, vineyards, gardens, servants, possessions, cattle, silver, gold, everything that pleased his eye-he got. (Chapter 2 vs 1-10)
True to history, those fillers didn't last. (vs 11-20) ..."and there was no profit...(15) Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity." (16) "For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool." (vs20) "Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun." (vs22-23) "For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun? For all his days are sorrows...."
How despairing! It's sad to think of all the things Solomon did to try and make himself happy. We see the same things now days, and the same sad returns. Worse even as people wreck their lives and lose their families, even their lives.
There is hope! (vs26) "For GOD giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom and knowledge and joy!"
We can all fill our hearts with God's love. The hole in the heart that just can't seem to be filled is God shaped. It truly is. Once that space is cleaned out and filled correctly, it will stay full as long as we keep our relationship with Him. Our free will is apt to push Him aside and try to cram other fillers in that space, but He's always there waiting for us to make room for Him again. Hebrews 13:5 "Let your conversation be without covetousnss; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
I know how easy it can be to try to get a "quick fix". Those things may make one happy for a time, yes, but they don't stick. As quick as that ice cream gets digested, those hurt feelings come back, often with a friend called guilt! Now compounded, the heavy feelings of hurt, shame, disgust and more flood into your heart and weigh it down heavy. That new item can bring a rush of temporary joy, but when the bill comes along...bleh.
Call upon the Lord. He is worthy and will always listen. Fill that space in your heart with His love....before you kick tha bucket, Dear Liza!
