Something Missing: When Life Looks Full but Feels Empty

Have you ever noticed how strange this moment in history is?

We have more comfort, more options, more information, more “freedom” than almost any generation before us — and yet so many people feel quietly unhappy, anxious, or untethered.

Maybe that’s you.
Maybe everything looks “fine” on the outside.
And yet… something feels missing.

Or there is a loud silence beneath your perceived success.

Or what is droned out by background noise presents in technicolor at night. 

Truth: When something essential is missing, no amount of polishing can fix it.

The Good News; If God is missing, nothing else will satisfy fully. I know, I lived with ‘Something missing for years before finding God. 

I recently read of a spiritual leader going to address a group of students on their theme, “Something Missing.” He shared this: 

“On my way into the auditorium, thinking of the implications of their theme, which was “Something Missing,” my attention was drawn to a short advertising notice, posted and signed by a student in the lobby. Line by line it read:

For Sale

1929 Ford

Two-Door Sedan

Nice Body and Fenders

New Paint Job

No Engine

$20.00

See Bob

There was in truth “something missing” in this automobile, and that something happened to be the one indispensable element that gave the rest meaning, without which it was but an empty shell, having the appearance of wholeness but lacking the capacity to accomplish the purposes of its creation.

“No engine.”

That’s what life can feel like without God at the center.
All the parts are there. The effort is real. The appearance is convincing.
But the thing that gives meaning, direction, and movement is absent.

And when God is missing, we don’t just lose belief — we lose orientation.

If you feel this, you’re not broken.
You’re not failing at life.
You’re not ungrateful.

You may simply be living with an empty center.

And that ache?
That restlessness?
That quiet sense of “there has to be more”?

That’s not something to numb or outrun.
It may be an invitation.

What if, instead of asking, “What do I need to add to my life?”
you asked, “Who have I drifted away from?”

This week, you might simply try this:

• Sit in stillness for two minutes.

• Say, “God, if You’re there… I’m listening.”

• No performance. No perfect words.

Just space.

I know He’s there, listening. Decades ago, I felt that hole in my heart. He has filled it for me. He’ll fill it for you. 

Peace doesn’t come from adding more — it comes from returning to the center.

Share the results of your experiment with this simple prayer. How do you hear Him responding? Wait on Him, He will answer–with His peace, a spoken word, or an impression, or a lightness or an assurance. Maybe you’re feeling it now. Maybe it’s coming. Wait for Him. Trust Him to bring it.