The Blessing of Awareness: Finding the Outpouring in You Emptiness

My friends, I want to share a truth with you today that might just turn your perspective upside down. This morning, my pastor preached a message that hit me right between the eyes. He spoke about the widow and the prophet—a woman in a desperate situation who was told to go out and borrow every empty pot she could find. The miracle was this: as long as she had an empty vessel, the oil kept flowing. He called it "The Blessing of Emptiness."

Now, you might be sitting there in your neck of the woods thinking, "Bill, how in the world is being empty a blessing?" Well, I’ll tell you, sometimes we are so blinded by a "perceived fullness" that we can’t see the very holes that are draining our joy and our purpose. We think because the metrics look okay on the surface—maybe the bank account is holding steady or we’re going out to nice dinners—that we’re doing just fine. But friend, if you're propping up a hollow structure with temporary things, you aren't full; you’re just occupied.

I sat down with a gentleman a few days back who came to me for coaching because his finances were in a pinch. He was convinced that the "empty" part of his life was his wallet. But after just a few explorative questions, the Holy Spirit pulled back the curtain. We revealed that the real emptiness wasn't in his bank account; it was in his marriage. He and his wife were spending money they didn't have to create a "feeling" of fullness—movies, travel, and fancy meals—because they didn't have the confidence or the communication to face the truth together. They were pouring effort into a vessel with a hole in the bottom.

As the Apostle Paul tells us, we must examine ourselves. You see, the greatest transaction in life is the transaction of value. If we can add value to another, they will value us higher, and that shared value produces a greater ROI. But you can't pour from a vessel that's leaking, and you can't fill a space that you refuse to admit is empty. As Zig Ziglar used to say, you’ve got to be before you can do, and do before you can have.

If you want to experience true fullness—the kind that overflows and blesses everyone around you—you have to start with the courage to be empty before the Lord. Here are three specific steps you can take today to move from perceived fullness to divine abundance:

1. Identify the Actual Empty Spaces

   Stop looking at the symptoms and start looking at the source. Ask yourself, "Where am I truly empty?" Is it really the finances, or is it a lack of peace? Is it the job, or is it a lack of purpose? Be honest with yourself and the Father. You cannot fill a hole you haven't identified.

2. Invite the Holy Spirit to Guide the Search and create Connections to Support You.

   We are often poor judges of our own hearts. Ask the Holy Spirit to shine a light into the corners of your life. Let Him show you where you’ve been trying to prop things up with your own strength. This isn't about judgment; it's about preparation for a miracle.

3. Create a State of Surrender

   This is where the rubber meets the road. Surrender the "props"—the habits and pretenses you use to hide your emptiness. When you bring an empty, surrendered vessel to God, you are giving Him the space to move. Surrender allows the Holy Spirit to fill those gaps with something eternal rather than something temporary.

Remember, the oil only stops flowing when there are no more empty jars. Don't be afraid of your emptiness. See it as the starting point for your greatest season of growth. When you approach life holistically, ensuring every vessel is sound and surrendered, that is when you experience a return on investment that this world just can't match.

Keep climbing, keep growing, and keep those vessels ready! Pour into others as Christ pours into you.