I know it may seem weird, but I get these pictures in my mind while praying. God knows how to get my attention. The same picture or method may not work the same for you as it does for me.

So I’m praying and this picture of the shell game comes before me. Remember the three half-shells and underneath one of them is a ball and it is your job to figure out which shell has the ball underneath it? Now what am I supposed to get from that?

Of course I ask what His point is and He responds by speaking to me about the reality of empty shells. I know that those who have not made Jesus Lord of their lives are without a doubt empty shells. They are merely dead men walking. They have not been made alive in Christ. They are existing and not living.

But there was more to my “empty shell” picture than this. Most of these posts focus on the Body of Christ and how she (the Body) can walk in wholeness and so that’s where my train of thought went. Many posts are a chronicle of my journey and my desire to be full, complete, and whole.

I remember when I was growing up and hearing in Sunday School how Jesus wanted to come live in my heart. Then I recall how my pastor would teach us that we can be filled with the Holy Spirit. I believe both of these to be true but why is it that so many in the Body are empty shells when Christ lives in our hearts and the Holy Spirit wants to fill us?

I’ll be very honest and open to you all…something I don’t like to do (be open that is). Being open makes us vulnerable to those around us. I don’t like to be vulnerable because then I am not in control and I like having control of myself. However, I believe that this will help someone and I’m being instructed to do it so I’m putting it on the line. Judge me if you must but honestly it doesn’t matter. I am not controlled by your opinion of me, good or bad.

A few years ago, I went through an ordeal that had me feeling like I was in a whirlwind. Then, not long after that, my dad passed away. This was one of the most devastating things that has ever happened to me. I loved my dad dearly and spent the last several years of his life taking care of him and spending a lot of time with him during his last few months. To say that I felt empty after he passed onto Glory is an understatement. Even though I didn’t always agree with him, he was a living earthly example of my Heavenly Father. All of these things together served to almost wipe me out.

What ensued after that felt like my life was literally drained from me. I was no longer the man I was. I physically felt like I had nothing on the inside. I went through the motions and never stopped loving God but the joy just wasn’t there. Emotionally, I was empty and dry. The bad part about it was that I could put on the “Christian Happy Face” and very few knew the inner struggle I faced every single day. Zombie is a good word to describe how I felt. God was still there but I even tried to fill the empty feeling with other things. Did I hear the word “stupid”? It was and I’ll admit to it.

I must say that during this time, God put people in my life that protected me and never gave up on me. I can say to you that I don’t know if I would be here today if it weren’t for these people. They were a God-send but I knew that something had to happen inside of me. They just created the environment that was conducive of allowing God to fill me once again.

Throughout my journey, there have been things that have happened that I could’ve let tear me apart. To say that the last several years have been difficult is like saying that the arctic is a little cold. There are days that I still feel empty. Wow! That’s open and honest. I know God lives within me and that is what keeps me going but there are still times of wonder and doubt. That’s why I walk by faith and not by sight or feeling. I choose to walk in the Truth of His Word.

I’m not here to glorify my situation but to offer you hope for your journey. Friend, there is hope for you. Maybe you are one of those empty shells. Maybe you feel like it will never change and you will never be the way you were again. Good! You are a new creation in Christ Jesus. The old has passed away and BEHOLD He makes all things new. I don’t want to ever go back to the way things were. It’s time to take on the mantle of Christ and walk in newness of life.

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom was not mere gold or silver. He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb. 1 Peter 1:18-19–NLT