Thanksgiving is coming and many of us are already planning our gathering with family and friends.
Some of us will see an empty chair at the table. A loved one left it empty after their flight to heaven. Or maybe another decided to leave “to find himself.” Or a friend for a season is no longer at the table with you.
There are many reasons for empty chairs in our lives.
I have experienced empty chairs in my own life and some are more difficult to take than others. Some chairs don’t make sense. There were words left unsaid. Misunderstandings not resolved. True feelings buried. Too many “Whys” left unanswered.
A wise man once said to me, “Billie, take an empty chair and imagine that person sitting in it and just listening to you. Now speak the words you wished you could have said. Know that you are connected with them spiritually and God will take your words to them. Then go in peace, Billie, and let God handle the rest.”
I’ve used this Empty Chair Conversation and it works. It releases us from the burdens of “What If” and sends a message of hope to our beloved who once sat at the table and enjoyed that season with you.
This week Empty Chairs will abound in Texas after the mass shooting. This week a friend of mine will bury her 24-year-old daughter – a beautiful soul taken too soon. And this week a friend is praying over her husband’s wayward soul and the empty chair next to her at home.
I give God praise for those who once sat at my table. I love them all and I rejoice in the beautiful memories we shared. For those in heaven, I know Thanksgiving will be bountiful for you. For those who have ventured to another season in your life, I wish you peace and may you find what you are searching for before the sunset of your life.
May you find comfort, my friends, that the One who emptied the tomb and rose again will one day restore the Empty Chairs in your life.
And more importantly, my friends, before you become The Empty Chair yourself – go and make amends, speak love, and forgive. We all deserve those three things – especially those who love you.
I wish you peace this week. God bless you and God bless America.
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