An empty chair invites belonging.
I used to be the one who filled the empty chair.
At the Balls’ house (my foster parents), I filled a space that had waited too long for a child’s voice. At church, I filled a spot on the pew between people who decided to treat me like I belonged there. I filled a place on the couch of folks who invited me into their family life — not out of pity, but out of love.
Every time someone made room for me, the world made a little more sense. That’s how grace works. It pulls up another chair and says, “Sit.”
There are still empty chairs at too many tables — in homes, in churches, in the quiet corners where families could be whole again if someone would just notice the space and fill it.
If you’ve got an extra seat, you’ve got a ministry.
If you’ve got a little room, you’ve got a calling.
God sets the lonely in families, but He uses people to move the chairs.
