Guest post by Chanale Propst
We (or maybe just me) have all been driving on the highway, and through careless driving we’ve weaved off the side of the road, and become startled by those loud nerve-wracking grooves. But it is that noise, that disturbance that gets you back on track and gives you a sense of appreciation. The Federal Highway Administration explains that Shoulder Rumble Strips were created to prevent off the road crashes, and to notify the driver that they had drifted from their lane. God puts the same type of strips in our lives, warning us that we have drifted and it is time to get back in our lane. It is very effective and can immediately wake you up (if you take heed), making you aware of the situation in front of you. I have had several occasions where God has used events or normal occurrences to get me back on board; even though it was nerve-wracking at the time I appreciate it now. This last time, God used a devastating breakup my senior year of college, my rumble strip, to force me to see what I hadn’t seen for so long; a hole, a gaping hole within my spiritual nature.
My dependence on men had become evident. I used their words, their actions, and the lack there of to define me, to VALIDATE me, to fill me. I was like a drug addict, addicted to the feeling that came with those actions, and words. On cloud nine one minute, and feeling worthless the next. Without those words…those actions, I felt like a speck of dust, floating in the air with no purpose.
My soul, my heart, and my whole being craved and longed for love, and a void that had been created and maintained by this world needed filling. So I tried filling it; I chased after, “you’re cute”, that long stare from across the way, and the “selection” in the club for a dance. Not realizing that each time I grabbed at that placebo filling it not only didn’t make me whole, but it also enlarged the void. I was pushing myself further and further away from where I needed to be, pursuing and craving something that always left me searching. I didn’t realize that God so desperately wanted to fill that void, and to become my everything. So He used a “rumble strip” to put me face to face with my hole. He made me realize that I was EMPTY, and no relationship would make me whole or give me complete satisfaction, except for the relationship that I needed to form with Him.
That was back in December of 2011, and I STILL face a daily battle to make God my sustainer and no one else, but making Him my source has been so rewarding. How many of us today are trying to play handyman and fill our void/hole with man-made things? Whether it is a man, material things, or yourself, I want to be your rumble strip today and tell you that those things will NEVER, EVER fill you up! You will end up back at square one, trying to figure out the thing that you think will fill in that missing piece. God is the only person that can satisfy that craving, and that desire. We must learn to seek God, and the purpose he has for our lives. Embrace God, and get to know yourself through Christ. I’ll admit it is a hard battle. I had been addicted to that way of life for so long; I didn’t think that this new way of life would give me what I needed. I was scared that I wouldn’t have what I needed to keep going each day; what would I be living for? But God has proved to be more than enough! Psalm 16:2 highlights it all, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”
A well-known scripture, John 4:13-14, was highlighted at an event I was at a couple of weeks ago, and it helps to bring to focus that Jesus can fill any void: 13 “Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks of the water that I give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I give him will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’”
Jesus was speaking to a Samaritan woman who had had five husbands, and the man she was currently with was not her husband. He told her the water that HE would give her would quench her thirst forever; she would no longer have to jump from man to man to feel valued or worthy. She would know that her worth comes from Christ, and only Him.
What I was chasing left me thirsty, and I was constantly searching for something to satisfy that desire. However, like Jesus said He is the only source that can make you whole and put your searching to an end. So I challenge you today to look deep down inside and see your reflection. Ask yourself who is your SOURCE, who is your well, and what are you chasing after? Christ wants to fill that void for you, I encourage you to let Him and relinquish all control to Him.
Ephesians 3:19, “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God” (nlt)
Chanale Propst is a young adult who is truly starting her walk with God, and has realized how amazing that walk can be. Her aim in life is to put God first, and to remove any distractions that will prevent her from doing this. She is in love with Christ, and desperately wants young women to embrace this love as well. She spends her free enjoying her family & friends, and journaling.
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