Seeing our empty places with curiosity and courage - Denia Bradshaw

Our Lady of the Empty Jars was the title of the sermon with Shannon Fernando this past Sunday and it encompassed several themes, including that of hope and of faith-filled action.

Too, Shannon shared about how powerful it is to name our empty places. Whether it be about loss or grief [for instance], we can say: this is a hard place I am facing right now.

Moreover, the story of Margaret and the empty places waiting to be filled was certainly a message many of us could relate to.

One of the themes I would like to dive deeper into is the reconsideration of how to view empty places.

The example that Shannon used was of the intention behind the empty jars in Margaret’s story. Their purpose being about healing one’s heart rather than viewing the emptiness of the jars as a form of scarcity. I know I have experienced this in my life. For instance, my curiosity for a situation will at times become muted due to the overwhelming dominating aspect of scarcity, which is in essence a form of fear. Are there any places in your life where you have experienced this too? Were you able to look again and take a different take? I know it is hard, but were you able to invite curiosity in? If not, where and how might you approach things differently in the future? Where, in those empty places, might you be curious about how God is working in
your life?

It is challenging for a reason. That said, this could be an instance of faith-filled action. Speaking of which, I was sitting next to Jeanmarie last Sunday and she used another word to describe the faith-filled action as described by Shannon in the sermon, and the word she whispered to me in describing Margaret was: courage.

Marianne Williamson, author of A Return to Love, says “it takes courage to endure the sharp pains of self-discovery rather than choose to take the dull pain of unconsciousness that would last the rest of our lives.”

God knows it can be scary for us but nonetheless encourages us to not be afraid or discouraged. Reassuring us that we are never alone and that we never have to do it alone - we simply are not meant to.

As we conclude here, are there any places where you can rest in community during seasons of emptiness? Alternatively, what about taking faith-filled action during such times? What is coming up for you? Talk it out with God.