Are You Running on Empty?

In February, my older son and I made a hiking trip to beautiful Puerto Rico.  My son lives in the mountains of Virginia and hikes long distances (by my standards) most weekends. I live in a flat area of North Carolina and my biggest hikes are through Home Depot or Sam’s Club, although I enjoy going on neighborhood walks with my grandchildren, especially to the donut store.

The Adventure Begins

Since he had been to Puerto Rico before, my son meticulously planned our trip, including sightseeing in San Juan, and then heading west along the outer edge of the island. I am fascinated by lighthouses, so they were on my list of Puerto Rican sights to see. Our longest hike was through the Bosque Estatal Toro Negro, the large rain forest in the center of the island.

Running on Empty – Spiritually

Our trip got off to a rough start on Day 2. We were touring the Castillo San Felipe del Morro (below) in San Juan. The weather was much hotter than February in North Carolina, and the fort included many steps – all uphill. After climbing one particularly steep series of 20+ steps, I felt dizzy and had a headache.  Having experienced similar symptoms before, I knew the problem – dehydration. After closing my eyes, resting for 15 minutes, and drinking plenty of water, we continued touring the fort and even walked down to Castillo San Cristóbal a short distance away. Throughout the rest of the trip, I prioritized drinking from my water bottle, even if I was not thirsty.

Dehydration is something I always need to watch out for, having been hospitalized twice for it, once resulting in many stitches as I “used” my head to stop a fall against a marble hotel bathroom vanity.

The problem with dehydration is that it sneaks up on you. The warning signs are subtle. I already had a headache from the bright morning sun. I was tired following a restless night in a strange Airbnb room that lay in the flight path of the airport.  My heart rate was higher from climbing steps, especially since I was out of shape. It took the dizziness to finally convince me that I had a problem that needed to be addressed. I was running on empty, but didn’t know it.

Running on Empty – Spiritually

Sin is like dehydration. It can sneak up on you. It starts with a “little white lie” which we might call a story, a half-truth, an exaggeration, or another term that doesn’t sound as bad as “sin”. Growing up, the white lie would have been labeled a venial sin, as opposed to a mortal sin that affects your soul. Venial – like it didn’t matter to God because it was trivial. After telling the lie, I was still “a good person” deserving of heaven if I repented (a trivial “Oops, I’m sorry”).

Can you see Satan’s cunning in that wording? Those sins don’t matter to God. Only the big ones count.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Every sin – from the “little white lie” to “the big ones” like adultery, rape, and murder – is offensive to God. Every sin is a mortal sin and disqualifies us from being in God’s presence in heaven. Proverbs 12:22 reminds us that “lying lips are an abomination to the Lord”.

Like Dehydration, It Sneaks Up on You

As anyone who has studied human nature will tell you, once your conscience gets past the first few little white lies, it gets easier to tell the next lies. Sin is the same way. We tell ourselves:

As an employee	As a husband & father	As a Christian
The end justifies the means	I deserve it	I can pray later
It won’t matter to anyone	I’ll catch his next game	I’ll go on a mission trip next year
Nobody will notice	I need to work this hard	I don’t have time to volunteer
Everyone is doing it	It’s just one ballet recital	I’ll tithe next month

Warning Signs That You’re Running on Empty

The key to avoiding the subtle creep of dehydration is knowing the warning signs – dizziness, dry mouth, headache, tiredness, dry skin, feeling thirsty, and going to the bathroom less often. Ignore the signs and before long, you’re running on empty physically.

When you observe the warning signs, react – drink water, take a break, and sit down if you’re dizzy. Don’t move until you’ve started feeling better.

The key to avoiding the subtle creep of sin is similar. Know the warning signs:

• you attend worship services less often or go out of a sense of duty
• you pray less often or half-heartedly
• you skimp on giving your time and resources to the church
• you spend more time on social media than with God’s Word
• you spend your time with people who pull you down morally or spiritually
• you give in to doing or saying things you know you shouldn’t
• you stop living the Christian life others want to learn about and emulate
• you’re no longer the spiritual leader your spouse and children need

Before long, you find yourself far from God – spiritually dehydrated. You’re running on empty spiritually.

Drink of the Living Water

Watch for the warning signs of spiritual dehydration. Then drink deep of the “Living Water” of Jesus. Pray, read your Bible, meet with other believers, and find an accountability partner who will recognize that you’re drifting toward spiritual dehydration and will steer you back toward God. Like a sturdy tree, be firmly planted in God’s Word.

Living water will give you the energy to live an abundant and healthy life. The Bible teaches us:

• John 4:14 – “… but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
• Isaiah 41:17-18 – “The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water.”
• Revelation 22:17 – “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.”

The consequences of physical dehydration are serious – potentially severe complications, such as seizures, swelling of the brain, kidney failure, shock, coma, and even physical death.

The consequences of spiritual dehydration are equally serious – fear, anxiety, anger, loneliness, jealousy, pride, and more. You have a lack of joy and peace. Your spiritual impact is minimized – on your spouse, family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and the world – a life not used for God’s glory.

We need to constantly fill ourselves with God’s truth to be spiritually healthy. Don’t run on empty.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please fill me up to the brim and overflowing with Your Word. Keep me in Your truths every day.

See the Beauty of Puerto Rico