"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end." — Ecclesiastes 3:11

For forty years, I searched without even knowing what I was searching for.

I moved across countries. I entered relationships. I built businesses. I dove into New Age practices for two years. I kept moving, changing, trying new things.

But nothing ever felt like enough.

I didn't realize I was trying to fill a void. I just knew something always felt missing. Something was always just out of reach. And I kept reaching anyway, hoping the next thing would be different.

It never was.

There's something inside every human being that aches to be filled. A space that no amount of success, love, possessions, or experiences can satisfy.

Some people feel it as constant restlessness—always needing the next thing, the next achievement, the next thrill. Others feel it as loneliness, even when surrounded by people. Many feel it as a nagging sense that something is missing, but they can't name what.

I felt it as all of these.

And like most people, I spent decades trying to fill it with everything except what it was actually designed for.

Scripture tells us that God "has set eternity in the human heart" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). This means we were created with a built-in longing for something beyond this world—a longing for God Himself.

That void you feel? It has a specific shape. And only one thing fits it perfectly.

Think of it like this: You can try to fill a keyhole with sand, water, or clay. You can pack it full of different materials. But until you use the actual key that was designed for that lock, it will never open.

The void in your spirit was designed by God. It can only be filled by His love, through Jesus Christ, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Anything else—no matter how good it seems—is just temporary relief. A new car gives you a few weeks of excitement. A new relationship feels amazing for a few months. A promotion satisfies you briefly. But then the emptiness returns, and you're searching again.

Now, looking back, I can see what I was doing. And I can see what so many others do too.

We chase material things. We think if we just had the right house, the right car, enough money in the bank, the perfect wardrobe—then we'd finally feel satisfied. We scroll through what others have and feel the ache grow stronger. Some of us spend what we don't have, trying to fill the emptiness with things we can touch.

Many poor people believe that if they could just be wealthy, all their problems would be solved and joy would finally come. But as always in life, nothing can be taken for granted. There are financially poor people who have God and the Lord Jesus in their hearts and feel genuine joy even without material abundance. And there are poor people who feel anger and frustration over their lack. In the same way, there are wealthy people who have the Lord Jesus in their hearts to fill their void and find peace. But there are also rich people who feel deeply unhappy and frustrated—people who discover that no matter how much money they spend, their emptiness cannot be bought away.

Wealth doesn't solve the void. Poverty doesn't create it. The void exists regardless of what's in your bank account.

We search through people and relationships. We jump from one relationship to another, hoping someone will love us enough to make us feel whole. Or we cling desperately to relationships that aren't healthy because being alone with the void is unbearable. We look to others to give us what only God can provide.

We stay constantly busy. Work, socializing, consuming endless information, planning the next experience. If we stay distracted enough, maybe we won't notice the emptiness. But in the quiet moments—late at night, or driving alone, or in the shower—it's always there, whispering that something is missing.

We seek through spiritual practices that promise everything but deliver nothing. This was my trap for two years—New Age practices that sounded enlightened, that felt spiritual, that promised I'd finally "ascend" or "awaken." But they only kept me searching without ever finding.

The enemy knows exactly how to keep us distracted. He doesn't need to drag us into obvious darkness. He just needs to keep us endlessly searching for fulfillment in things that can never satisfy.

We spend our time with friends having conversations that lead nowhere. We consume material things that never bring lasting joy. We chase pleasure after pleasure, each one promising to be "the one" that finally makes us happy. We scroll, we shop, we eat, we drink, we plan the next trip—anything to avoid facing the void.

And the world around us encourages this. "You deserve it," they say. "Treat yourself." "Buy this." "Do this." "Be this."

But none of it works. Because earthly things can never permanently satisfy the soul.

For forty years, I didn't even know there was a void. I just knew nothing satisfied. Nothing lasted. Nothing was ever enough.

But Jesus said it plainly in John 4:13-14:

"Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life."

I spent forty years drinking from broken wells—wells that promised satisfaction but left me thirstier than before.

When I finally stopped searching and simply received what God was offering, everything changed. Not because my circumstances changed. Not because I finally found the perfect solution.

But because I finally understood what I'd been searching for all along. And I let the right thing fill the right space.

Here's what I want you to consider this week:

Do you feel like something is always missing? Like no matter what you achieve, acquire, or experience, it's never quite enough?

Maybe you haven't named it as a "void." Maybe you just know that you're restless. Searching. Always reaching for the next thing that might finally bring peace.

I understand. I lived there for forty years without even knowing what I was looking for.

Write down what you keep reaching for. Is it success? A relationship? The next purchase? The next experience? Approval from others? Spiritual enlightenment through practices that promise everything but deliver nothing?

Look at the pattern. Notice how nothing satisfies for long.

Because you can't fill the void until you recognize it's there—and understand that you've been using the wrong things to fill it.

The void you feel isn't a flaw. It's not something to be ashamed of. It's actually a gift—your spirit's way of reminding you that you were made for more than what this world offers.

You were made for connection with the infinite. With the God who created you, loves you, and has been waiting for you to stop running and come home.

You don't have to spend forty years searching without knowing what you're searching for, like I did.

You can understand it today.

Until next week,

Berenice

P.S. — Do you feel like you're constantly searching for something, but you're not sure what? Have you noticed that nothing seems to satisfy for long?

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