Monday, October 22, 2007

Filling the Empty Space

Have you ever seen young children playing with the toys that have all different shaped pieces that fit into openings of the same shapes? It is a great learning tool for children as they try to place the square piece into the circle opening, or the cross shape into the triangle opening. After playing with it for a while and being shown how the pieces fit into the correct openings, children will learn and then be able to place each shape into the right opening with no problem.

Several times I have heard my pastor say that there is a God-shaped vacuum inside everyone that will never be satisfied by anything except a relationship with God. People try to fill this void with so many different things, but these things only lead to more searching. Trying to fill this "God-shaped vacuum" with people, money, activites, or stuff will never lead to fulfillment and satisfaction. It will just leave you wanting more. The only way to fill this void is to have a relationship with God. He will satisfy that constant need for more. He will make your life complete.

The following quote is by Blaise Pascal, French mathematician and philosopher.
"What is it, then, that this desire and this inability proclaim to us, but that there was once in man a true happiness of which there now remain to him only the mark and empty trace, which he in vain tries to fill from all his surroundings, seeking from things absent the help he does not obtain in things present? But these are all inadequate, because the infinite abyss can only be filled by an infinite and immutable object, that is to say, only by God Himself."

6 comments:

Amel said...

Ahhh...I LOVE this post and the quote, Kathy!!!! SPLENDID! ;-D

Stylin said...

Great post Kathy,
Lately I have felt so far away from God because of a hectic life and I know he is trying to get my attention.
Thankyou for this I needed it

matt said...

Being an engineer and math minor I've never heard that side of Pascal.

Sindi said...

I still love reading your posts. I know I will never get bored coming to your blog. I liked this quote, so I wrote down his name so I can look up more about him.

I hope you are having a great day and that you have a very glorious week:) God Bless!

Kathy said...

Amel, thanks! I'm glad you liked it!

Frasypoo, I am glad that you're back, I missed you!

Matt, wish I'd known you were a math minor -- you could have tutored my daughter! She's terrible in math.

Sindi, thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Yeah, I didn't know anything about Pascal, but found out about him by searching for a certain quote.

bp said...

What a great post! I too liked that quote.