When people look for something, chances are it is either lost or it doesn’t exist yet. When I spoke before Development Bank of the Philippines’ scholars in Iloilo City, I thought my audience was looking for both something they’ve lost and something that doesn’t exist yet.
You see my audience is overwhelmingly financially challenged. These are real poor students but truly deserving. They came from remote villages and towns within Iloilo islands. As usual, before I started my motivational talk, I asked them to share some chapters of their lives. True enough, they’ve been to the worst, at least as of the moment.
Reflecting on Empty Space
But pity isn’t what I felt at the time. I admired them for having the courage to stand up and the willingness to do anything that can take them away from poverty. Today, I’m reminded of a beautiful song which I’d like to reflect on as I was going through the day of motivational lectures, leadership, and team building training.
Empty Space
There’s an empty space in your distant gaze,
and you may look away, the void still stays.
There’s a hollow part in your weary heart,
and though you try again, no smile can hide your pain.
They have something bright in their horizons. I told them that what they have right now isn’t everything that they can have. Of course, it’s pretty obvious that there’s an emptiness in their hearts. Some of them no longer have a family, a father, or a mother. It seems like they’re having hard time to find what can fill in these loses. And yes, behind their smiles all day, I felt their pains, too.
Fear not the night within. That’s where My light begins,
so you may one day see My face. Only I can fill your days.
This is obviously a reminder that they’re in their cold nights. But God through this song seems to remind us that there’s light sooner rather than later. He certainly can fill our days.
There’s a raging storm in your broken soul,
and how you wish away your troubled days.
There’s an open door at your deepest core,
and though you lose your way you’ll still come home someday.
Yet I would go on sharing my success module on “Obvious Reasons for Success. I’d consistently feel how broke they are. In fact one-time, I asked them if they really know their true identity. All of them said no. And so I said unless they become clear about their identity, they can’t be the best that they can be.
Call it broken soul. Call their days broken days. But there’s always a way out, I told them. They surely can come home someday.
Fear not the noise within, that’s where My voice begins,
so you may one day hear My song. Only I can still your storms.
In silence, I told them, you’re going to find that little voice. Listen to that voice because it’s telling us something. It bodies something important. It tells us something about our deep desire.
There’s an empty room, there’s a hidden wound:
this heart that burns for you, if only you knew.
You’re the missing part in My yearning heart,
and I will stay around until the day you’re found
There’s a place for us in this world. Such place can either be something we want or something that other people want for us. God allows us to choose which room we want to occupy. His love gives us the freedom to choose.
May this, My whispered song,
lead you to come back home
till we’re no longer far apart.
Then will your laughter fill My heart.
When I ended, I told them that I’m simply a motivational speaker. I cannot change their lives. But they have the power to do it themselves. I hope they’d find their home soon. And speaking of empty space, it’s ok to have it so as long as you know that later on, you’ll find something or Someone to fill it in. There will always be an empty space. The essence of this life is to continuously fill it in.
