FILLING THE VOID

There's nothing like discovering a good book to inspire a topic to write about. The Millersburg Historical Society's basement book sale once again supplied me with a treasure I can't put down. Living A Purpose Full Life is the title and it's just what I need to write about since I'm speaking on this subject tomorrow at my former church.

The book explores a woman's inner longing to find a life of meaning and purpose. Motherhood isn't enough to fulfill us: "Denise is at home with three children and enjoys the comings and goings of a mom's life. But in the quiet moments, as she rocks her crying toddler she wonders if the latchkey kids down the street (are okay). She thinks about the bag lady who was digging scraps out of the dumpster at the fast-food restaurant and wonders where she sleeps."

Women are searching for meaning in the midst of their busy lives. And although motherhood is certainly meaningful, women still long to be a light in the world beyond their homes and families.
Getting out of the house and going to work doesn't always bring the satisfaction they're looking for, which might explain why increasing numbers of women are leaving the work force. The primary reason women quit their jobs is a lack of satisfaction with the job itself. When a women doesn't feel she's doing something meaningful and making people's lives better, she'll feel like something is missing.

This sense of emptiness can affect even women who are busy being full-time moms. It also affects career women who have reached great levels of achievement: "Focusing on achievement alone isn't cutting it anymore. Women who have pushed through the glass ceiling of corporate management wonder, Why isn't this as wonderful as I thought it would be?"

For a job to be full of purpose and meaning, it has to align with our values and beliefs. For many women, that's not the case, especially if they believe they should be at home with their children instead of driving to work every day.

So what is the answer to all this? From what I've read so far, one sentence can sum it all up: "Meaning in life is not found in fulfilling divine purposes, but in a relationship with God." God created us to be in relationship with Him, and these longings we have to live lives of purpose flow from our primary reason for living...to know and love God. "This relationship with God then feeds our purposes in life...The more fully we come to know God, the more clear His purposes become to us."

If you're feeling empty and wondering, "Has my life counted for anything? What is all this for?" The emptiness you feel could be the void that God created in all of our lives, a void that was meant for Him to fill.