A "Donut" Kind of Life

“Life without Jesus is like a donut

‘Cause there’s a hole in the middle of your heart…

When Jesus fills your heart, he satisfies your soul

Like a pastry nugget in a donut hole.”

~The Donut Man

Rob Evans, the Donut Man.
Remember him?

Often childhood songs contain eternal truths. This song by the Donut Man, which opened and closed every one of his shows, is one of those songs that you can sing a million times before you stop and think about what it means.

Sunday we spent the afternoon at my grandparents to celebrate Mother’s Day. Grandpa was telling us that he was going to have a blood transfusion on Wednesday, and that he always brings donuts to the blood center staff. Mom smiled and broke into song, with Rachel and me cheerfully joining the refrain: “Life without Jesus is like a donut/ ‘cause there’s a hole in the middle of your heart”.  Grandpa smiled and, with tears welling up in his eyes, he enjoyed a silly and touching moment with his grandkids that are way too old for the Donut Man these days.

The last few days since then, that song has popped up in my head again and again. This has given me pause to stop and finally think about the words and their meaning. A catchy tune has become a lasting refrain of truth in my mind.

This semester I had a friend who showed me that this song was truer than I ever realized. I saw that a person can do all the right things and try really hard, but without allowing Jesus to fill his heart and satisfy his soul completely he would be left empty. My friend tried really hard, but he sought satisfaction in places that left him needy, lost and yearning at the end of the day. He wanted to do the right things, he really did! Yet, the more I watched him, the more my heart was grieved. Only God could truly satisfy his desires. If only he could see that.

We see this in the world all the time. People run after addiction, success, attention, or temporal fulfillment because they have this void, vacuum, or hole in their hearts. It is like a puzzle; there is only one piece that fits. We can try to cram money, success, or love into the heart-hole that God created for Himself, but only He will truly fit. He alone can satisfy and He promises He will:

“You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” Psalm 145:16

This encouragement to let God fill the void in your heart is not just for the unbeliever. My friend said he believed in God. But he didn’t let God control every part of his life. Do you?

This causes me to turn my thoughts back to my own heart. I say I believe in God, but do I really live like it? Does He have control over every part of my life? I would like to think that the answer is yes, but my daily actions prove otherwise. I fail daily. We all do. And the beautiful thing is that failing daily gives me the opportunity to once again ask Jesus to fill my heart and satisfy my soul. Without Him I can do nothing. I can try to fill that hole in my heart with many things, but none of them will fit and completely fill that void like Christ will. I am empty and broken without any way to fix myself. I am a puzzle that’s missing pieces. I am a donut without a donut hole to fill me up.

Jesus, I am here right now, thinking of your unfailing grace. Will you fill me up and satisfy my soul? May the childhood truth that I am empty without you be fully understood and lived out in my life. I need you. Fill me, oh Lord, with You today. Amen.