The idea of seeing what could be instead of what is, would not be, however, an earthly exercise in wishful thinking, merely an act of human intellect. Instead it would be a spiritual application of a powerful biblical principle, which simply teaches; “We [the righteous] live by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7, NKJV). In other words, we are to live in expectancy, standing on what we know and believe to be true and not living in despair, troubled by what we see with our natural eyes.

When we start training our hearts to look at life with spirit eyes instead of with human ones, we will begin to recognize that appearances are not final and facts are not always the truth. For the faith-walker, when the world says it’s over, we know God is just beginning and an empty condition is just an opportunity for the Lord to fill it with something spectacular and beautiful.

The widow of Zarephath discovered this (see 1 Kings 17:10-16). In her moment of desperation she experienced a life-shaking encounter that forever rattled her perspective. After the death of her husband she found herself with empty cupboards, empty pockets and an empty hope. That emptiness in God’s economy, however, was precisely what made her a candidate for a miracle.

The widow’s empty turned opportunity when Elijah, the prophet of God, asked her for a piece of bread. Instead of clutching to her meager supply, she agreed to release her grip on the only remaining resource she had. Who would have known that this single act of faith would activate and unleash the miracle supply of God for her and her son? Just as the word of the Lord had said, “The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land” (NIV). Her source of survival never dried up. Though to the natural eyes the jar and jug appeared near empty, leaving them in a continual state of hunger, the eyes of faith understood it to be abundantly plentiful, leaving them completely satisfied and fulfilled.

This Old Testament story gives us a contemporary lesson on how we should view our needy condition. Instead of seeing our lack as hopeless and futile, we should gaze with the eyes of faith into the possibilities that await us. Remember, when “empty knocks” it just may be opportunity in disguise.

Still not convinced that empty can be good? Then consider this. Jesus knew empty. In fact it was the very emptiness of our Savior that now allows us to be filled with eternal life. Think about it: First, God emptied heaven and sent His only Son to live and die on this earth. Then, Jesus emptied Himself so He could take on human form and pay the price for our sin (see Phil. 2:6-7). What an amazing concept to grasp! The fullness of Jesus was preceded by His willingness to empty Himself. And last of all, hell was emptied of its power, leaving an empty tomb as proof that our God is an all-powerful, miracle-working God and nothing is impossible with Him!

Today Jesus is on “empty” pursuits. He is not angered about our empty condition; rather, He is tenaciously after our barrenness so that He can bring us His life and fullness. Just as He summoned the “empty jars” at the wedding in Cana of Galilee so He could fill them with water and transform it into wine, He calls to us right now.

God asks for our desert, our dry and empty places, so He can fill us with eternal, life-giving water and grant us the opportunity to taste the sweetest wine this life has to offer.

No, empty is not fun. But it does possess the potential to be transformed. Whether it is our human heart and all our emotions, or our outward circumstances, God is the source and the fulfillment of everything we could ever dare ask for, dream of or imagine. So next time you see empty, believe for opportunity!

At one time I was among the millions who do, and I have to admit, my kids loved it, too. It was amazing how my tots could spot those golden arches from their backseat vantage point! They would squeal with delight at the prospect of “driving through.”

The real thrill came, however, when we actually pulled in, parked and went inside. Here, I could catch a quick but pleasant lunch with a girlfriend while the kids romped happily in the play area. It was great to be able to enjoy an adult conversation with another battle-weary mom who had spit-up on her collar.

But the REAL attraction for the moms was free refills. We could sip on soft drinks for a couple of hours without running dry. For one brief interlude in our hectic day, we could fill and refill our cups as often as we liked. Who would ever have guessed that McDonald’s could be such an oasis?

Though I actually am NOT a big proponent of today’s fast food, I AM in favor of finding an oasis, a secret place where one can be refreshed. With our lives moving at such an incredibly fast pace, we are left with precious little time to do the things that replenish us spiritually, emotionally and physically. The endless juggling of appointments, family obligations, meetings and schedules can completely drain us, leaving us feeling stressed out and anxious.

Recently I was made aware of a staggering statistic: More than 70 percent of all doctor visits are stress-related. And a large percentage of those who suffer from stress-related issues are women. We must be careful not to become the next victims! We must find a time and a place to get refilled.

Because I have met so many women who feel overwhelmed at the multitude of “hats” they wear, I am especially sensitive to their plight. They are wives, mothers, schoolteachers, financial advisors, chefs, and chauffeurs — all in their spare time. Most of them also work full time outside their homes.

Jesus gave a mouth-watering invitation to one woman who was so stressed out she found herself off-schedule by at least 3 hours. Though most women came to draw water from the well in the cool of the morning, this frazzled woman didn’t show up until noon.
In any event, Jesus gave her an appetizing offer of refreshing cool water when He said, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am, you would ask Me, and I would give you living water. People soon become thirsty again after drinking this [natural] water. But the water I give them takes away thirst altogether. It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life” (John 4:10, 13-14, NLT).

Jesus was extending free refills of strength and power to any weary person who would ask. It is clear that He does not intend for us to carry a heavy load of concern and busyness. His words of invitation still ring out to us today as He says, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).

It is in finding quiet times of escape that we can be renewed and refreshed. We must unplug from our electrically charged schedules to be replenished and to rest. Even our mighty God rested after creating the universe (see Gen. 2:2), and His son Jesus withdrew to quiet places just to hear the voice of His Father.

Intentional solitude is crucial. I believe the Lord wants to draw us into a secret place of refuge where He can speak into our dry and thirsty souls. He gives us free refills whenever we take the time, separate ourselves and call on Him. Whenever I get alone with Him, I find my life is put in order. Somehow the clamor and demands are silenced. In the stillness, He is there.

I encourage you to make the time to slip away. After all, “You deserve a break”—not only today, but every day!

Oh, I have seen spots before that have freaked me out- AGE spots… well just one, but it was there and its presence was horrifying. But I digress… It wasn’t age spots this time that floored me. I have seen other spots too; sore spots, weak spots and soft spots but none of them shook me like what I saw this past week. I saw BLIND spots. A rare occurrence indeed!

Blind spots don’t show up very often. They hide, camouflaged nicely in their environment. But this day it was there, right out in the open- a visible sighting. I should probably mention that the blind spot I observed wasn’t my own- perhaps that is why I was able to see it. Blind spots by nature are hard to detect when they belong to you. They are much more evident to the onlooker. And that’s what I saw that scared me so -a blind spot in the life of another, yet clearly observed by friends and family. The scary part, however, was not that a blind spot appeared out of the thicket of her life, for we are all armed with the knowledge that we have them. At least we should be. We may not know what it looks like- how spooky, distorted or obnoxious our blind spot may be- but we better be aware that it is there, lurking around in the secret places, showing itself to others but keeping us safely in the dark. No, the truly terrifying part was that what was clearly tangible to us was completely invisible to her.

Now I know that spots are sneaky. One minute they are there- visible, touchable, noticeable- and the next minute they fade away, leaving you to wonder if you really saw them or felt them. That’s the assignment of spots; Get in and get out as quickly as you can.” But that day those blind spots were sluggish and they stayed around and stayed around until it was so blatantly obvious something had to be done. So we tried. We tried to carefully uncover those blind spots and bring them to her attention. You see, once a blind spot is revealed to its possessor, it becomes declawed, and moves into a new category of spots called “weak spots I am working on.” That was simply the goal that day- to help someone see that her blind spot was destroying her life, her relationships and her successes. Such havoc this blind spot was creating! It had to be harnessed and captured. It had to be tamed.

What happened next was frightening. You have never heard such a clamor. Let’s just say the introduction did NOT go well; “Owner this is your blind spot, Blind spot this is your owner.” There was definitely no love connection here. The introduction was met with intense rejection, denial and great hostility. It was instantly dismissed as our problem. We were informed that this was our distortion and insanity. No merit was given to this blind spot at all. Instead we were written off for even daring to escort it to her conscience. We were dissed on all fronts- dismissed, disrespected, and disbelieved. Had we not quickly gotten out of there, we may have been dismembered as well. Yes, I was scared. Scared for her and her future of course, but more scared for myself. “What are my spots like?” I shuddered to think. I left there determined. “I want to see my blind spots,” I decided. “I don’t care how ugly they are or how many they have grown into, I WANT to see them.” (Blind spots travel in packs if left unnoticed.)

I still feel that way. I want to know how I am perceived. I want to know what others see that I am blind to. I know it will take the eyes of others to catch my spots. But I want to know, no matter how vicious they may be. It will take the willingness of a few brave souls to make the introduction, but I am ready. I can only become better for it, more refined and less abrasive.

I can’t live with the notion that I am spot-free, and neither can you. Why not take the challenge and invite a few faithful friends to be on the lookout for your spots? Don’t let fear or pride stop you from becoming better. Do it now, before you get “voted off” the island! Here’s to happy hunting.

How to catch a blind spot

1. Search light of the Holy Spirit – Psalm 139:23-24

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

1. Faithful Friends- Proverbs 27:6

Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are lavish and deceitful.

1. Humility to hear it- James 1:19

Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…

1. Trust to accept it- Proverbs 2:1-6

My son , if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

The absence of color is white – the absence of feeling is NUMB.  All the colors blended together make black.  All your emotions flowing at once equal ANGER.  Neither one make a beautiful picture if it is all we use.  Why not instead, open the crayon box and explore?

It is the stubborn thinker who decides to repress all her feelings and never respond, feel or deal with what she is experiencing. It is the lazy thinker who rages through the color sprectrum, scribbling with every crayon, blasting another with their angry display. How much better – yet painful at times – to open the crayon box of emotion and learn to recognize what you are really feeling?  Have you been hurt, betrayed, rejected, embarrassed?  Were you afraid, lonely, bored, or inadequate?  In getting aquainted with the array of colors in this life, we paint a better self-portrait if we have the courage to take an honest look at what we may be feeling, and therfore how we may be acting and effecting others around us.

Numb leads to depression and to a lonely lack-luster life.  Anger leads to hatred and to a lonely life of broken relationships.  But is there something in between?  Some have found a favorite color and use it on everything.  That’s what children do.  Remember those kindergarten papers where everything was blue, including your face and hair?   One dimensional living.  It’s hard to be around the person who always uses blue. In our scenario let’s say blue is rejection. It doesn’t take long to weary of them when they scribble the blue mantra “It’s because they don’t like me” over all of life’s circumstances.  You get he point.

Why not live colorful?  Remember, when God made us a promise of new beginnings, He opened Heaven’s crayon box and colored the skys with the rainbow.  Life is an invitation to experience, to feel, to explore.

Get out of the crayon box, open it up and decide today, “I CHOOSE TO LIVE COLORFUL!”

Jesus said to the woman at the well, “Will you give me a drink?”  I can’t imagine being asked by the Living Water himself to fetch him some refreshment!  Yet Jesus asks to have His thirst quenched by us- to be brought something that will refresh Him.  That makes me wonder, “Is Jesus thirsty in my relationship with him?”  Do I bring him a cup of cold water in my worship, in my praise?  Does my life water and refresh His heart?

One way we can refresh the heart of Jesus is by watering others.  Jesus talked about water in more places than one…. He seems to have an interest in H20.  He tells us that when we bring a drink to others we have done it unto him.

Matthew 25:37 “Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  MT 25:40 “The King will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Watering others is expected by our Lord.

Proverbs tells us, “A generous man will prosper – he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” 11:25

It’s not enough to go through life living for ourselves- selfishly drinking in all we can. We are to be connected, serving others.  Anyone can be spiritual in a vacuum. It’s when we have to live in the context of others- in relationships and in community- that the test begins. That’s when we discover if our life refreshes others and thereby refreshes Christ.

Take our words for example. Do you understand that when you speak to someone, whether in harsh tones or in soothing notes, you are either serving the Master a cool refreshing drink, or blowing the dust of carnality into his face? “When you have done it to the least if these you have done it unto me.”

Maybe the tests of life are really opportunities. Maybe they are moments where the Teacher of Galilee says to us – “Will you give me a drink?” Perhaps the person you stand in front of- though deserving of a well-earned lecture just needs a drink of refreshing words of courage. It’s possible Jesus sent you as an answer to their thirst, “Lord fill me!”

Even in the miracle at Cana – Jesus turned the water into wine. If he could do that – and He did- then certainly he could have created the water to begin with. But the Lord uses us in the miracle and says, “Bring me the water. Fill these vessels with water and I will turn it into wine.”

Today is no different. Jesus wants to do miracles in the lives of His people. But He chooses to involve us – the ordinary- in the extraordinary. He tells us today to fill the vessels of others with water, to pour words of life like life-sustaining water into the empty clay pots of those around you, and He will turn that water into wine…He will turn it into a WORD that miraculously energizes, transforms and shatters dryness – drenching the soul with divine power.

Ephesians  4:29 says, “Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth but only that which benefits the listener.” We are commanded to speak words that benefit, profit, are advantageous and promote well-being to the listener. Even in our communication we have to admit that watering others is not always our goal. Instead we are tempted to blast them with a fire house and drown them in a whirlpool of our words. Or we withdraw and say little – granting barely an eye dropper of agua to the thirsty. Too often our purpose is to extract our own cup of coolness, watering our flesh by venting and purging, wringing out our thoughts on others. We long to benefit ourselves by spewing on another. But where is the water to fill the vessel? Where there is no water there is no wine.

Today Jesus asks you, “will you bring me a drink?” Will you refresh Him by watering someone else? Will you?