Photo from OutreachMedia.org
By Aaron Waite
As the emotionalism of Valentine’s Day captivates the hearts and minds of so many people every year, often times the holiday reveals void. It may become a day of void for those who have lost loved ones, reminding them of their loss and the loneliness they feel on Valentine’s Day. It may be a day of void for individuals who do not have a significant other. Most often I see this day as a day of void for people who are looking for fulfillment in the holiday’s festivities — the people who feel that they have to be with someone in a romantic way so that they can feel whole.
As human beings we all feel void at one time or another within our lives. We feel a lack of love or sustainment, a lack of joy or happiness. Regardless, we feel void. We realize the hole in our hearts is bigger than we understand. We try to pack it with anything and everything so that we can feel better, hoping to feel whole again. Perhaps, that’s in the form of certain unhealthy relationships, the use of drugs or alcohol, selling yourself short of self-respect, pornography, or even suicidal tendencies. Whatever it may be, it all comes from feeling void or emptiness.
Levi the Poet wrote a piece titled “The Beginning. The Separation.” This poem expresses the creation, which God spoke into being. Levi continues to express the power and might of God as creation occurs, and he presses further than anything, the creation of man and woman. He talks about this shamelessness and equality of humanity in likeness with God — the freedom and wholesomeness we had in God, until the separation occurred. Levi is talking about the separation that devastated humanity and tried to tear the name of God from our lips. Levi is talking about void. This is the void that mankind sustained when we chose the path fleeing from God.
Lucky for us, the blood of our innocent King Jesus was spilled, giving us redemption, mercy, grace and love that are enough to fill the void and leave it over flowing. Yet for some reason we so often choose to search for something else that we see fit to fill that void. We have been gifted with fulfillment as long as we accept it. We don’t have to feel void anymore if we accept the love of Christ over our love for the world and ourselves.
So whether it’s the Valentine’s Day blues or the loneliness of everyday life, we can be filled with the relationship we were created to have with God, or we can wander hopelessly looking for something else that will never mend our hearts and fill our void.
“Forget not your first love” –The Chariot
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