A crisp autumn evening is being tucked away with coos as I type this.

Lord knows I need the positive vibes given how bittersweet a month it’s been, not to mention its placement amid an extremely uncomfortable season. Like recent years, Lys & I have been holding on for dear life of late though on this side of Jubilee, the desperation has been different, dare I say, next level.

No question, the ultimate theme of 2023 has been simultaneous grieving and hopeful anticipation. To go from losing a daughter to gaining one in less than 11 months, that’s..*sigh*…that’s insanity at its finest and most glorious. At least for what can be known this side of heaven.

Still, going back to this time last year, I couldn’t have possibly imagined the first full year of what has become a new era within the Fry family journey. The trials and testings, the depth of depressions, the resilience faith has compelled us to, I mean, you’re talking about a year I can’t wait to recap in 5-6 weeks once the New Year comes into greater focus.

For now, I want to offer some perspective to the broken heart along with some zest and zeal to the fatigued.

While it’s true, there will be times when you’re heard, understood, treated fairly, etc., there are other times you’re not supposed to be. As hard as that is to receive, especially during challenging circumstances, it’s a peace-inducing reality when you think about it. For even when you’re run into the ground as part of one’s abuse of the plow, there is a joy to take hold – one that makes little sense at first but becomes more powerful when you say ‘yes’ to it.

For instance, there have been moments in recent months when I’ve felt stuck on an island, crying out into the void, wondering who might hear if I supplicate loud enough. In those instances, the mind craves certain thoughts to be taken captive alongside the white noise and dead silence.

But then God shows up, meets me in the turbulence, and sweetly reminds me, ‘Son, I see the holes you’re walking on. I am here. Let me be and fill your void!‘

And instantly, I’m okay again – a calibrated vessel with the Staples button resounding within: Well then…that was easy.

Now, hear me: I’m not trying to belittle whatever chaos you’re walking through. I’m just looking to charge your spirit. If you’re coming out of a stretch in which you’ve been a fish out of water, don’t just desire water; rather, believe there’s a river with your name on it. You may feel helpless in the immediate flopping on terrain you weren’t designed for, but this doesn’t mean you have to lose heart in light of where you’re going.

Which brings me back to why I’m writing this: If you’re running on empty today, if you’re feeling abandoned or overlooked, let God be, fill, even shape your void! For in this transaction, you allow your Creator to be the receiver of your lack, your fear, your heart to belong and be known. You see, far too often, we ask God to remove our voids and repair our deficits. I recall a specific situation in which I told God, “If you can just make a bridge for me here, I’ll be sure to walk on it.’

However, as I now know, if I’m trusting God’s thoughts and ways as higher (Isaiah 55:8-9), then the pragmatic move is to follow His leading regardless of direction. Like me, you may think you need a bridge when what you really need is a bypass, a nudge, an about-face, heck, even a jump into a boat going under it. Point is: The same reason you’re not alone is the same reason you can take heart when you feel stuck, lost, or misused. As I’ve said before, the best scenic routes in life are often detours. Accordingly, don’t be surprised if your ‘yes’ to God increases the probability of them. After all, we were made to fully rely on God in all things, including our voids as painful they may be. Why not dare to see God in them as we pray and cast our cares and embrace His goodness?

As the prophet continues in v. 10-11:

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth…giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me void, but shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.“

Selah.

Graphic cover creds: Wallpapers.com