EMPTY FAITH



                               By

                          Phil Scovell


                         COPYRIGHT 1994

                         By Phil Scovell



     My attention was always arrested by a huge transparent bin of
chocolate candy kisses as a child.  It stood pretentiously in the
center of the dime store that we often frequented.  It looked, as
a kid, the height of a man and must have been at least four feet
in diameter.  "How much would all those cost?" I used to wonder as
I stood in front of the huge display and dreamed of eating all of
those chocolates one at a time.  "I could climb inside that big
barrel and be buried alive in sweets," I mused.

     One day I was in that same store with my mother and after
searching for some things on the second floor of the department
store, we walked down the steps to the main level.  There was the
giant bin of candy chocolate kisses but someone had forgotten to
replace the lid.  I looked right down inside the large container
and could clearly see that the barrel was hollow.  The immense
container had a cylinder of cardboard rolled up inside.  Only
about two or three inches of candy lined the clear plastic walls;
making passersby think the transparent drum was filled with the
candy kisses.  It was a fake!  Somehow, though the barrel still
contained lots of candy, I found myself disappointed.

     Years later I thought of that experience.  It was so
challenging as a little boy to stand in front of that monstrous
display of sweet candy and try to imagine its worth.  The little
drops of chocolate were so numerous, their sweet scent was almost
overwhelming.  The lights danced off their shiny foil wrappings
and made the display seem so much more spectacular.  Imagine my
disappointment when I discovered it was really only partly there;
the whole barrel really wasn't filled with candy; most of it was,
in fact, empty.

     I wonder if God sometimes looks down from above and discovers
all the shine and glitter, not to mention the sweetness, is only
on the outside; the center being empty (void) of what is seen from
without.  If so, why not be filled with Him so what is seen is the
whole of God's presence in our lives.


I Flew Kites With Jesus
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