I bent over to fill the red, plastic gas container at the filling station so I could go home and mow the lawn. While the numbers clicked up on the pump, I killed time by reading the instructions on the handle of the hose.
“Why aren’t these in English and Spanish,” I thought, annoyed at the lack of opportunity to practice reading Spanish. Then I noticed one of the instructions said, “Do not top off.” Ha.
Dad always topped off.
Whenever we left his house, the “gas fairy” (Dad’s self-chosen monicker) would come and fill our tank and then tap, tap, tap the gas handle until there was enough gas to get us an hour farther down the road than we should have been able to go.
I thought about Jesus’ declaration that I had read that morning:
I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me shall never hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst.
My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
(John 6:35 and 6:32b, MEV)
Something to know about God:
He is a Father who tops off.
God fills his people, by way of His Son—tap, tap, tap—completely full.
One thing I am learning to recognize is the empty, soul-hungry feeling I have inside of me at all times, and that if I come to Jesus, He will fill me.
“He who comes to Me…” Jesus says. But coming is hard. Cookies and remote controls and scrolling Facebook are easier. Coming to Jesus takes work. It requires denial of quick fixes and an effort to pray, to read the Bible, and to wait for the filling.
In Oregon, you know, you legally have to stay in your car and allow a service station person to fill your tank. You just sit there and wait while someone else does the filling.
You just sit there while the gas fairy brings the needle from “E” to “F”.
“He who comes to me…” Jesus says.
Don’t stay empty.
Janet Perez Eckles 
Shawn Akers 
Abby Trivett 
