Touching Hearts: THERE'S A HOLE IN THE BUCKET. . .

Touching Hearts: THERE'S A HOLE IN THE BUCKET. . .: “There’s a hole in my bucket dear Liza, dear Liza, there’s a hole in my bucket dear Liza, a hole,” so sings Henry in the old Engli...

THERE'S A HOLE IN THE BUCKET. . .

“There’s a hole in my bucket dear Liza, dear Liza, there’s a hole in my bucket dear Liza, a hole,” so sings Henry in the old English nursery rhyme. Liza tries to come up with numerous ways to mend it, but Henry always finds it won’t work.

Many of us humans go through life, trying to fill the hole, or rather the emptiness within. We try to fill up the gaping hole with activities and busyness. We run here and there, and like poor Henry, we find the hole is still there. The busyness was just a passing fancy and didn’t fill our void.

Then we try accumulating stuff. Stuff is all the things that give us pleasure—that is—pleasure for a bit, then the emptiness is back. We buy baubles and bangles, the latest fashions, the latest cars, or any little thing our heart desires. Our houses get bigger, fancier, we want the latest of everything, but nothing fills that hole. Next, we might try traveling and oh, what beauty, what pleasures we see. We go to concerts, we recognize the actors by name, and we know all about their latest marriage, their latest child—but still it doesn’t fill us.

We surround ourselves with friends, acquaintances. We become the life of the party, and party we do. But often we feel the emptiness in a room packed with people, so the search continues for a way to plug the hole. Will we find it in drink, street drugs, or prescription meds? No, those things don’t work either. We are empty, empty, empty.

Sometimes, we try to plug the hole with food, or maybe the opposite. We fill it with exercise; after all, it’s good for us, isn’t it? Just like the nursery rhyme song, it goes on and on until like Henry, we’re back mourning about the hole within us—nothing makes us fill better.

Finally, when we’re at our wits end, we hear it—that still small voice that says, “Come unto me all ye who are weak and heavy laden and I will give you rest for your soul.” Ah, that sounds good. Could it be that I’ve just heard the voice of God. “Come to me all you who are thirsty, come to the water.” I’ve heard of God. I grab the book that is supposed to be about him and discover promise upon promise. What would happen if I believed them? What would happen if invited him in?

The hole in your soul would be filled, dear child, dear child. You would be full and running over. Take my hand and let me fill your emptiness. I love you and I’ve been waiting for you so long…

Scriptures: Matt 11:28 &

Isaiah 55:1