I recently met with a woman for counseling who has a real anger issue. During our time together she confessed that she’s read multiple self-help books, tried several different medications, and even gone to secular counseling, all to no avail. She went on to say what while some of these solutions served as band aids to a bleeding wound, none brought complete healing or restoration in her life and she was really disappointed. She was so relieved when I told her that none of those things she tried had to power to bring healing or real change, that only Christ had that power. I continued to share with her that God may use these tools as the vessel, but none of them, within their own right, can heal anyone of anything.
Pretend for a moment that I have a glass of water, and I drop it to the floor and it shatters. Suppose I want to restore it to its full potential so that I can drink from it again. At first I may try duct tape. If the tape begins to peel at the first sign of liquid, I try super glue. While I can probably do an adequate job at gluing the pieces back together again with great effort, time, and concentration, my repair job would be obvious and it would probably leak. At that point, I may attempt to repair the glass with yet another adhesive which will also eventually fail. To re-establish the glass to its original form, I will need to take it to the manufacturer for restoration.
But before I decide to fix the glass, I must consider its value. A $.99 cup will most likely be swept up and thrown into a wastebasket. If it is precious because it was given as a gift or if it had great monetary value, then I will want to repair it. Once I determine that the glass is worth the repair, I will take it to the glassblower who would have complete control over the restoration. I would trust that he knew what he was doing, since he created the glass.
In glassblowing, the vessel being designed or restored must be reheated in order to strengthen it to remove dirt that has attached itself to the glass. This process also makes the glass most flexible and moldable for the artist’s expression. The glassblower has what is called the “Glory-Hole,” an opening in the furnace used for reheating the vessel while working with the glass. The temperature in the “Glory-Hole” is extremely high. It is only under this intense pressure and heat that the glass can melt and be reformed into the image the glassblower has in mind.
With a limited understanding of glassblowing, the glass can crack after it’s removed from the heat, or even after it cools. This process in glassblowing can be seen as a metaphor for the manner in which God restores the unbeliever to Himself. He allows the world to break us. We try to heal ourselves but we fail, limping through life looking for vitality. Most people, unfortunately, do not know that this can only be found in Christ.
Just as the cells in our body carry a complete blueprint for their replication, so does our soul. It yearns for intimacy with God. “ As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Psalm 42:1,2). It cries out for complete fulfillment from our Creator. It remembers and knows that something is missing and that there is One that can make it whole again. This sense of “void,” so often described by unbelievers is the cry of the soul when it was separated from the Holy Spirit, a cry that seeks restoration.
Unfortunately, many of us have managed to silence its cries by stuffing it with worldly goods and earthly treasures – even as believers. Many failed marriages are the result of one or both partners attempting to “fill the void” that their mate can’t satisfy. It is not uncommon for such marriage partners to realize that their mate has not filled their emptiness, and thus fall into adultery in search of one who will. Divorce is often the result, with or without infidelity. Babies are born, and then resented when they don’t complete the parent. Some individuals go from job to job. But God never intended for anything or anyone to take His place. The unbeliever will never be happy until Christ fills the void. Any attempt to put anyone or anything else in His place is as worthless and frustrating as trying to put a square block in a round hole.
We hush the cries of our soul by feeding it an imitation, or manipulating our emotions to try to fill the emptiness. It silences us temporarily, but soon the internal sobs start again and our spirit becomes restless. Refusing to be comforted by the world, our cries become internal demands for wholeness. But God loves His chosen too much to allow us to live in desperation, separated from Him. He allows circumstances to change our lives, such as our marriage, job, etc., where we are forced to “see,” “smell,” “touch” or “taste” His redeeming power.
What is God doing in your life right now? What is He trying to teach you in regards to your souls cry at this time in life? Are you satisfied with your relationship with Christ and that cry is one of worship, or is the cry of your soul one of desperation and a desire to be filled by the Holy Spirit? There is One and One only that can satisfy you, that can restore your soul and bring complete healing. His Name is Jesus and He is awaiting you to invite you in and allow Him to do the necessary healing for you to become like Him. Will you let Him into the heart of your life or continue to silence the cries with imitations?
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