Filling Holes

Our kids were given a 3-D puzzle of a world globe a few months ago, and they decided last week to put it together. The pieces all look very similar, so it is important to follow the instructions in order to be able to assemble it correctly. Daniel and Emily made a mistake or two, and eventually reached a point where they were “stuck”.  My husband inspected it, moved some pieces around, and after a while announced with a grin: “There, I’ve fixed Africa. I guess we can go home now.” We noticed a few pieces are missing and I commented, “our world still has some holes in it.” There is even a hole right at the western edge of the Democratic Republic of Congo, ironically. We know that all of us are born with a “hole” that only God can fill to make us complete, but this was a visual reminder of how many, even some who are Christians, still live each day trying to fill holes in their lives. Throughout the week I noticed holes everywhere. The electric company dug numerous holes up and down our road in search of the damaged spot in the cable, and didn’t bother filling them.  There is a hole across my road that a neighbor dug which makes the road completely impassable, so everyone has to drive out of their way to get to their destinations. Don’t we sometimes go to great efforts to avoid dealing with our holes? Or struggle needlessly because of them? People here like to fill potholes with trash, rocks, whatever is at hand, thinking they've "fixed it" when the reality is that it is likely to do more harm to vehicles than the original problem. We do that also, substituting inferior, temporal things for the satisfaction that we can have in Christ. The kids at the orphanage I visited had holes in their clothing. I decided to cut my own hair, so now it has holes of its own. I spent several minutes yesterday plugging holes in our bathroom walls with aluminum foil in an effort to bar the giant roaches from coming in. The physical holes I see bring to mind the spiritual and emotional holes that surround me in this city of 11 million people who spend their lives trying to fill them. Isaiah 55:2 says “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy: Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.” A holey heart can only be satisfied by a Holy God. Pray that the people of Kinshasa will hear God calling their hearts to Him and find satisfaction and the Bread of Life!