Laura sat alone in the large room, metal folding chairs arranged in a circle around her. She glanced at the clock. 6:50. In just ten minutes, she’d find out whether God really had been speaking to her. If even one person came tonight, it would be worth it. Doubt crept in. What was she thinking? She couldn’t lead a Bible study. What did she really know? She balled her fists. No. God was calling her to do this. He arranged everything, gave her the words for the advertisement. Her husband thought she was crazy, taking out an ad in the local paper. But that’s what God called her to do. She pulled the ad from the paper’s website up on her phone.

If you feel empty, you’re not alone. If life has left you disappointed, there’s hope. God has not forgotten you. If you want to find a better way, come join us.

She’d listed the date, time and address. Tonight was the night. She bowed her head in prayer.

“God, I know You’re in this. I know You have a plan for me. Please bring someone here tonight. Someone who needs to hear about You.”

Footsteps approached. A middle-aged woman stood at the door to the room. “Excuse me? Is this the meeting for…” She paused, her brow wrinkling, as if she wasn’t quite sure what to call this meeting.

Laura rose. “This is the place for people who are searching for more out of life. Come in. Care for a cup of coffee? I’m Laura.”

“Brenda,” the woman said. She clutched her handbag across her chest like a lifeline. “I’m not really sure why I’m here. I nearly turned around, but something kept prodding me to come.”

Laura offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “I’m glad. I think God wants you to be here.”

A moment later, a man in his late thirties entered the room, followed shortly thereafter by a woman in her sixties. Wordlessly, they took seats in the circle.

Laura poured two more cups of coffee, taking them first to the man. “I’m Laura. Welcome.”

“John.”

She handed the second cup to the older woman, who nodded and accepted it. “I’m Rose.”

Laura sat again, silent prayers swirling through her head. God brought not one, but three people. She sucked in a breath. “I put the advertisement in the paper because I truly believe God wanted me to. I prayed God would bring the people here who needed to hear what He has to say, and here you are. Can you each tell me a little bit about why you’re here tonight?”

Brenda drew in a breath. “My husband was everything to me. For the past 30 years, I cooked, cleaned, did laundry… I raised three kids practically with no help from him. I did everything I could to please him, because I desperately wanted him to love me.” Her voice broke on the last words, and she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue she pulled from her handbag. “Last week he asked for a divorce. He told me he needed space, that I’m too needy. Now I’m all alone, and completely empty inside.”

  Laura reached over and patted Brenda’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry, dear. Thank you for sharing. What about you, John?”

The man straightened in his chair. “I’ve worked hard my entire life. I built my business from the ground up. I sacrificed everything else – my marriage, my health, my finances, all to grow the business. I found out two weeks ago my business partner has been embezzling from me. Now I have to declare bankruptcy and I have nothing left.”

“That’s terrible,” Laura said. “I’m sure you’re feeling angry and betrayed.”

“You bet I am,” John said.

Laura turned to Rose. “Rose, why are you here?”

“When my first child was born, I became a stay-at-home mom. I loved it. I have six children. I went to every soccer game, every baseball game, gymnastics meet, piano recital and dance recital. I was the cookie mom for girl scouts and the den leader for cub scouts. I ran bake sales, manned the snack bar at the soccer fields, sewed on patches, and cooked more meals than a short order cook. I bandaged skinned knees and wiped tears. Now my children are grown and live all over the country. With them gone, my life seems to have no meaning.”

Laura’s gaze met each of the others in turn. “Your stories are all the same, don’t you see?”

Three pairs of eyes stared back at Laura, confusion in their gazes.

“What do you mean?” Brenda asked.

“Each of you trusted in something to give meaning to your lives. Something that wasn’t God. Brenda, for you, it was your husband. For John, it was his career, and for Rose, it was her children. While those are all good things, none of them can fill the place in your life only God can fill. It’s been said there’s a God-shaped hole in each of us. If we try to fill that hole in our lives with anything else, we’ll be disappointed. Brenda, your husband could never live up to your expectations for him because you were asking him to take the place of God in your life. And Rose, you did the same thing with your children. If you give your worship to God instead of the people you love, you’ll be able to have healthier relationships with them because you don’t expect them to meet all your needs. And John, working hard is a good thing. God wants us to work and work diligently. But you made your work an idol and put it before God. He took it away from you for your own good. Do you really want to go through your life with your only legacy being that you worked a lot?”

The room was silent for a moment, then Rose spoke. “What should we do?”

Laura smiled. The answer was easy. “Matthew 22: 37-38. ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.’ If you get that right, everything else will fall into place.”

Matthew 6:33

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Exodus 20:3

You shall have no other gods before me.

Dear God, we latch on to so many things in this world. Some are good for us, some are not, but none of them can take the place of a relationship with You. Please help us to put You first in our hearts and our lives. Thank You for providing everything we need, for loving us, and for having a wonderful plan for our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.