• If Only

    By: Kristen L. McNulty



    I cannot tell you how many people have come to me and said that if only they had _______ (fill in the blank) then they would be happy. For some they've said if only they had a car, then they would be happy. So then they get the car and then it's if only I had a home of my own, then I would be happy. So they get the house and then they say if only I was married, then I would be happy. So they get married and then realize that wasn't the answer and then say if only I had a dog, then I'd be happy. So guess who comes home with a puppy and that still wasn't the answer. So then they say if only I had children, then I would be happy. But then the baby came and while the extra bedroom in the home is now filled, that persons heart still has an empty void in it.

    And rightfully so. The reason why nothing on this earth can possibly give us lasting happiness, peace or contentment is because nothing on this earth was designed to. Yes there are amazing blessings that come into our lives that can add to our joy or happiness, but none of those things are capable of filling a hole- only God can do that.

    Now I realize that some of you hearing this disagree, because after all, you became a Christian quite a long time ago and while life with Jesus is better, you still feel that something is missing. Yes, unfortunately that is possible and that is because sometimes in our rush to move ahead with the Christian life we miss a very essential part of the puzzle. Many of us are great at inviting Jesus into our hearts, but we neglect to ask for His help in cleaning up what's inside. And let's be honest, often what is inside can be quite a mess.

    Some of us come from dysfunctional homes that have left huge holes. Then there's those who have been deeply wounded. And let's not forget about those of us who grew up without a father or mother and as a result missed a huge part of our development into emotionally healthy teens or adults.

    Psalm 147:3 tells us that God "heals the broken-hearted and bandages their wounds."

    In Exodus 15 God says to the people "I am the Lord, your healer."

    The word used here in the original language (rapha) for healer actually means "to mend, to cure, to repair, to make whole".

    Isn't that a beautiful picture? The God who saved you and the God who has taken up residence in your heart also desires to heal you, to make you whole. And the kind of wholeness He brings is complete, it doesn't need a flat screen TV or new home or relationship to get there. It comes from God's healing hand and when His healing hand touches you, remarkable things happen.

    So if you're feeling like there is a void, I encourage you to turn to God in prayer and ask Him to heal you. Ask Him to make you aware of any unhealed wounds you might have in your life and then ask Him to do what He does best, heal them. For some of us our healing might happen overnight. For others it may require some time in the trenches, working through the garbage that has accumulated in our hearts, but the beautiful thing about it is we aren't in there alone. Jesus journeys with us every single step of the way.

    If you're interested in reading more about this or learning more about how to be emotionally complete in Christ, two books I'd like to recommend are Changes That Heal and Emotionally Healthy Spiritually.

    Reprint rights available on request. Email the author at kristenmcnulty@hotmail.com.

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