Aaron Connolly

Two Minutes of Your Time

A frothy left somewhere in Baja

An Assertion

Every person has a massive, gaping, cavernous hole in their heart. They try to fill that hole with various things and it becomes a storage unit for things they think bring pleasure, fulfillment and value. These things include but are not limited to: money, career, possessions, accomplishments, praise from your peers, sexuality, a spouse or significant other, kids, food, drugs, alcohol, the car you drive, how good you are at something or your awesome side hussle.

A Realization

It was January 2006 when I found the bottom of that hole in my heart. My life was totally empty. What I mean by that is, everything in my life felt like it lacked any real value. I lived a quarter mile from the beach, surfed every day, had a great job, wonderful friends, a car, money in the bank, had my health and lacked for nothing. Yet none of it satisfied.

My heart was full of things, yet they rattled around.

There was a deep longing for something more. But for what?

Also, responsibility gnawed at me. For my present condition, I had no one to blame but myself. I made the choice to do the things I did. I was at the helm of the ship of my life. I was on the throne. How was I doing?

An Experience

One night I heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the first time. I learned that the penalty for every rotten thing I had ever done past/present/future was paid for and that I could be free of my guilt free from Hell and spend enternity with the Creator of the world. The Bible calls God a good Father, who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love (Psalm 103:8). Is that not amazing thing to say?

The Lord promised (symbolically?) to take the crown I wore if I would only cast it as His feet (Rev 4:10-11). He took my burdens because he cares for me (1 Peter 5:7). He came into my life and only through that provided me with all the self-worth, self-meaning and value I will ever need. I asked for that to happen in my life and the Lord changed my heart forever.

A Reality

Jesus’ finishing work on the cross has freed me from:

My hard heart was emptied and filled completely with the sacrificial, justifying and sanctifying love of Jesus which will never rattle.

A Takeaway

God is not a dehumanizing concept or an abstraction, but a person. He is Jesus. I know because the Bible says that absolute Truth became a person (John 1:1) to know. A person to be in relationship with and to be known. This is not abstract, according to the Bible.

There is strong historical evidence for Jesus’ life and death and I encourage you to investigate the claims he made. No other faith system makes the claims that Christianity does. It is worth exploring, simply for this fact alone.

Tim Keller says, “If you want change in your life, change what you worship.” So ask yourself: “What is worthy of my worship?”

I am aware that some of you will think this is nonsense but I can’t help to tell you that the Lord changed my life. Worshipping Jesus and his work on the cross, satisfies my soul and changes me day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. He can and will satisfy yours, if you’ll simply trust Him for it.