Wandering

I attended Lifelight this weekend. I love it there....so many people united for the sole purpose of lifting up the name of Jesus. Kutless was probably my favorite show. The lead singer touched on a couple issues that I found to be near to my heart.

Perhaps my favorite was his discussion of how easy it is to feel distant from God. I must confess that there have been times the past couple of years that I have felt distant from God. Times where I feel so confused. I know that I am a believer, I know what God has done in my life, but I still feel lost and like I lack direction.

He spoke something to the effect of that its never God leaving us...it is us leaving Him. I was really struck by how true that is in my life. My pastor preached a sermon last weekend in which he talked about grieving the Holy Spirit. I think that there are definitely times where I fall short and do things that grieve the Holy Spirit. Times where anger takes over....times where bitterness settles in, times where I become self centered.

The question is why do I do these things. There has never been a better part of my life than when I felt near to God. For one...my sinful nature runs amok in my life. I feel like Paul...I do what I don't want to do and don't do what I want to do. Sometimes I don't let go of past hurts and sin thrives. Revenge is such a nasty thing.

So as I heard this singer talk about this...I thought of a battle plan. How can I (and we as Christians) avoid wandering from God? I believe it takes a constant effort from us. Prayer is huge. Most complications in relationships arise from lack of communication. I don't think it is any different for our relationship with God. The Word of God is also important. It provides the blueprint for how to navigate through dark times.

It is my prayer that this year, I would not only be able to minister to the men on my floor in Burgess Hall, but that I would once again find that hope in Christ. That He would be my everything. All praise to Him!