Full Plate Empty Seat

Most of us had plenty to eat at Thanksgiving.

There was lots of turkey, stuffing and endless

dessert options. We can all buy food to eat.

What we can't buy is a way to fill that empty

seat. For one of my friends, it was her teenage

son who is out on his own and just didn't come

home for Thanksgiving-an empty seat. One of

my neighbors missed her husband who died last

year-another empty seat. A woman I met in the store

said she couldn't invite her sister because they had

a fight-an empty seat.

When I walked into church yesterday I wanted to

fill the empty seats that people had in their lives,

but all I could do was stand with them, hold their

pain in my heart and listen. I knew I couldn't fill

their empty seats, but after some prayer, songs of

hope, and lots of coffee, I began to feel the spirit

of God filling us.

There's something about coming together with

other people who love God and actually

know how to listen and pray that makes all

the difference. Did we fill that empty

seat? No. But God fed our hungry souls.