Drifting

It’s easy to drift away from God. Things happen, like homework and boyfriends and girl friends and parents.

Suddenly you wake up one day and realize God just isn’t there. You’ve been going through the motions of going to church or praying or reading the Bible, but you don’t feel God, He’s not there with you, He doesn’t speak to you. And you haven’t heard from Him in a long time.

Maybe you don’t really feel like getting back with God. You’ve done okay without Him for a while, so what’s the point? Or maybe He hasn’t come through for you in other things, and you’re feeling a bit resentful.

Obviously this post isn’t going to mean anything to you unless you think there really is something that might be wrong in the fact you don’t feel close to God anymore. You know it’s a hole in your life, but you just can’t muster up the energy or the desire to go seeking Him.

Here’s a thought for you to cling to: Even if you’ve drifted from God, He has never left you.

Write it on your bookbag, tape it to your computer monitor. God has never left you alone.

But what do you do now?

Go back to the Word. Yeah, it might seem dumb since you might have been reading the Bible for months now and God hasn’t spoken to you at all. But just try it.

Take a lesson from the monks—try lectio divina. I’m going through this book right now and it’s really surprising. God really does speak when we just shut up.

(You don’t have to use that book, there are lots of others if you search Amazon or Christianbook.com)

Pray first. Just a short prayer. Try to open your heart to God.

Then, take a passage from the Bible—maybe a Psalm. Read it through once, slowly. Read it through again, slowly. Read it through a third time, slowly.

Each time you read, open your heart to what God might want to have jump out at you. Study the words, see nuances and meanings. Really observe the text and keep an eye out for what seems to strike you, or just nudge you.

Then close your eyes and sit in silence. Try not to babble in your head. Just be still. Don’t let your mind wander, try to focus on what you’ve just read.

Sometimes your thoughts will drift to things that convict you. Sometimes you’ll hear God speaking to you. Sometimes you’ll just feel a gentle presence. Sometimes you won’t feel anything at all except maybe peace and a sense of rest.

A restored relationship with God takes time. Work at it. Keep striving for Him. He promised that if we search for Him with all our hearts, we’d find Him. Hold Him to that, and keep searching.

Yeah, YOU ... that's who I'm talking about!

Tricia Goyer here.

You know what I've been thinking about? I've been thinking about YOU.

1. You matter. You are significant, not because of what you do, but because of who you are.

2. You are wonderful. When you see yourself as God sees you, you don’t have to worry about an identity crisis. You are his child. You have amazing strengths that are unique to you.

3. You can succeed. When you take time to explore your dreams and dare to grow by trusting God to help you, you become more of the person he designed you to be. You also become a gift to those around you!

4. You are loved. Intimacy means connecting with someone who touches your heart—through communication, time spent together, and love shared. True intimacy is found when you connect with those who appreciate you for YOU. They are concerned about you and honor you in every way.

5. You are smart. We receive instruction from school, through special training, and from life. Focus on being instructed by those who want you to succeed and are willing to help you.

6. You can’t do it alone. Everyone needs a support system--friends, parents, teachers, and mentors. Also, if we ask for his help, God never makes us struggle alone. His help may be bringing another person into our life. It may be giving us the courage to deal with our bad habits or to get out of a destructive relationship. His help may be providing the strength to go to attend school, to work, and take care of yourself. Jesus is available 24/7. Just ask.

7. You need to recharge. We can’t work 100% of the time. Everyone needs to enjoy life and rest. When God created the world, he worked for six days, then rested on the seventh. He didn’t need to take that long. He didn’t need a day off. He did it as an example for us. God created within us the need to balance our work with rest. This includes a physical breather—actually setting aside time for recreation. We don’t need to feel guilty for the way we were made. Taking time to have fun is just as important as taking time to meet our other needs!

8. You can’t do it all. Perspective means focusing on what will last—especially our family, other relationships, and God. They are the things we will never regret giving our time, energy, and love to. Focus on those.

9. You matter. Everyone needs to feel that what they do is important. If you ever doubt if you are important ... just look into the face of your child. No one can take your place!