HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY

Last week I answered the age old question of how many people it takes to change a light bulb.  This week I would like to tackle another very old question.  Why did the chicken cross the road?  No, not that one.  That one involves the mind of a female and, as we all know, there is no understanding the mind of a woman.  How often have you been asked: Is the glass half full or half empty?  Your answer is, somehow, supposed to be an indicator of your personality.

With the assumption that the drinking glass has no lid, there is only one answer, but first let’s look at some definitions:

EMPTY:

• containing nothing
• not occupied or inhabited
• lacking reality, substance, meaning, or value

FULL:

• containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
• enjoying all authorized rights and privileges,
• completely occupied especially with a thought or plan

AIR:

• the mixture of invisible odorless tasteless gases (such as nitrogen and oxygen)that surrounds the earth

Is the glass half full or half empty?  The glass, which has no lid, is always full.  You can add water to the very rim and call the glass full.  You can drink half the water and ..  drum roll ..  the glass is still full.  Air replaced the water.

Instead of a glass, let’s think about our souls and start with some definitions.  Note:  The definition for soul was not so easy to find.  These seem to be the common ones.  Also, soul and spirit are not the same thing.

SOUL:

• a person’s total self
• the part of man which enables him to think and reason
• it designates the whole person as characterized by desires, wishes, even cravings and emphasizes that humans are emotional beings

GOD:

• the Being perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness who is worshipped as creator and ruler of the universe
• a being or object that is worshipped as having more than natural attributes and powers
• the one controlling a particular aspect or part of reality.

LUCIFER/SATAN/DEVIL:

• the rebellious angel who in Christian belief is the adversary of God and lord of evil
• a personal supreme spirit of evil often represented in Christian belief as the tempter of humankind
• the opposite of truth

I like the definition that soul is “a person’s total self.”  Wow.  My total self.  That would mean I am filled to the brim with my soul.  From top to bottom.  From right to left.  Filled.  My soul fills me.  I am filled with desires, wishes, cravings, and I am emotional. 

Well, let me tell you I am filled to the brim with God!!  Clear to the top!  My prayer list is long.  I really, really study to prepare Sunday School lessons, and writing my blog is a time of listening to God’s direction on what words to use.  I am filled to the brim …

but what if I am not filled?  What if I have let my prayer time slip so I can play a computer game?  What if I only glance over the study guides and articles for Sunday School prep?  What if it is Thursday and I do a good enough blog?  What if I am not filled?

Remember the air filling the glass as drinks of water were taken?  If I am not filled, there is room for something else to come into my soul.  And that is just what Satan is waiting for.  All he needs is a tiny gap.  He will do his best to pull me away from my God and Christian beliefs.  He will tell me lies.  And his lies will begin to make sense. 

Is the glass half full or half empty?  The glass, which has no lid, is always full. 

Is your soul half full or half empty?  Is there a gap for Satan to find?