You’ve probably heard songs about "running on empty," used the phrase in conversation, and if you've experienced it's effects, you're not alone.   
 
When we're running on empty, we might wonder what happened to our "full tank," when everything was good? Perhaps we reached the top of the mountain. Then the motor quits. There we are—stuck on empty. 
        
We check under the hood. Can we make the repair ourselves? Maybe. If not, we'll need help. If the object of brokenness is a car, we take it to a mechanic or someone with the expertise to fit it. But, if the object of brokenness is us, what do we do? Try to take care of the repair ourselves? Or seek expert advice?   

Before we make that decision, however, there is one simple gesture that could change the outcome for the better, that you might already know about. But first, let's revisit “running on empty,” because there are varying degrees of emptiness. Will we need just a small fill-up? Or a more significant “ful-fill-ment?”

I've experienced running on empty on both a large and small scale. A recent small episode left me feeling creatively empty due to writer's block. My own effort to fix it didn't work. But I knew that “one simple gesture” could make a difference: prayer.

A few days later when an Amazon Prime box was delivered to my door, a phrase printed on the side of the box captured my attention. It began, "Without you…”  Perhaps you’ve seen it? If you haven't seen it, I apologize for not printing the rest of the phrase, but I want to avoid potential copyright infringement. But, I will add that I've touched on the subject of emptiness, so that's all I have to say about that here.  

I’d received other Amazon boxes, but none had contained the “Without you…” phrase. The box came at the right time. Seeing this phrase was the answer to my prayers, for it provided me with a theme for writing the story you are reading.   

Without God in my life, I'd be empty. He is the reason for my faith, my purpose, my hope, and my salvation. 

HE is the answer to fulfillment for the emptiness in this world!

Be filled through Him!.
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Isaiah 41:10 – “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Jeremiah 31:3 – “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”

Photo courtesy of Vecteezy.com
 

          “All the answers on your math homework are wrong. You’ll need to do them over again,” my fourth-grade teacher admonished.

          "Again!?" I slumped in my chair. Having to stay after school to work on math became a daily occurrence. To say I disliked math was an understatement.

          Eventually, my stay-after-school days came to an end, but one thing didn’t. I still got problems wrong--life problems. You know how that can go?  (A). Struggle to keep up with everything; (B) Do your best to avoid making mistakes; (C) Find out what you thought was right is wrong, and (D) Go back and do everything over.  
   
          The dilemma! However, there is another way to look at this. We may balk at the number of do-overs it takes to make something right, but imagine Thomas Edison’s frustration after thousands of attempts to create the light bulb. Where would we be if he had given up? Instead, he persevered. His "again and again" attempts paid off. 

          Now, for a little twist on the word "again." If we turn it into two words, it becomes “a gain." Aha! If we don't give up—even if we have to try again and again—we can learn from our failures, which equals a "gain" and not a loss. (I wish I’d realized this as a fourth-grade math student).

          Years later I had to face my fear of math again when I applied to nursing school. “You must pass a math entry exam," the nursing advisor said. I feared failing, but put weeks of effort into studying. I happily passed the exam, entered nursing school, and earned my R.N. degree.  

          Life poses different struggles for each of us. What is an “again” struggle you have faced—or are facing—and what “gain” did you achieve—or will you achieve because of it? 
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          My prayer for you is that you may tackle your “again” moments and discover the “gain” therein!
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“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9. 

Photo courtesy of Vecteezy.com