I've got nothing. But I have everything.

It doesn't make sense. But it will.

I was up late last night. At least for me. We’re talking 10:30p. I know, wild night.

So when my alarm went off this morning at 5am because I’m trying to get back into the routine of waking up early instead of sleeping in to match my kids’ summer schedules, I turned it off and rolled back over.

Chalk me up for an “L.”

Then came my abiding time. As I journaled this morning, I have to admit that I didn’t get anything profound. No nugget. No insight. And I panicked a little. The proposition of this publication and this community is that every weekday morning I giving you something. So when I’ve got nothing, that’s a problem.

Or is it?

See, I’ve told you that most mornings I pray for imagination, inspiration, and implementation. You know what I got this morning? I got implementation. I’ve been contemplating an idea for the end of my new book on alcoholism and recovery, and I just haven’t been able to land on something to make it a reality.

Until this morning.

As I wrote out my prayers, God gave me an idea. So I started writing it down. And I kept writing. And writing. I filled up a couple pages with this idea. And afterwords, I was so relieved. I had “it.”

But that meant that I didn’t have anything for you. So I sat here. I stared at the blinking cursor. Nothing came. So I said a short prayer: “Lord, what do you want me to say?”

His response didn’t come immediately. But then I stared out the window and this is what I got: “Tell them you’ve got nothing.”

Ummm, OK? That’s a little odd, I thought.

And then he followed it up: “But you have everything.”

I dare say you could have seen the light bulb go off over my head. See, in this performance-based society, we are told we always have to bring something to the table. We always have to hustle. We always have to do, do, do. But in so many ways the message of the Gospel is to receive, receive, receive. Sure, there is obedience and practices — but the core, the foundation, is receiving. That’s where it starts.

That’s what God was reminding me this morning. And trust me, I need that reminder. Since admitting my disordered relationship with alcohol last May, I’ve had to rely on God’s grace more than I ever thought possible. I’ve had to receive. I’ve had to surrender.

And there are moments where I both physically and spiritually feel like I have nothing. And yet, I have everything because I have God.

I don’t know if that’s helpful for you, but in the end that’s all I have to give you today. I guess the irony is that the nugget I’m giving you is a nugget about not having a nugget — and what I learned from that. Yeah, that’s not lost on me either.

But that’s what I have. I have nothing. But I have everything. And that’s such a comfort.

What you do with that is up to you.

(Pic: The path up to the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.)