It's not hard to see why most people don't bother. Life gets in the way. You don't have as much time. It's too hard to come up with something interesting.
For me, it's been about one thing: My wavering walk with Christ. You probably won't be shocked to find that most folks have a hard time maintaining a consistently close walk with their Savior. I, on the other hand, have found my walk rife with ups and downs.
A few months ago, I was in probably one of the steepest lows I've experienced since being a Christ follower — so low, in fact, that I contemplated taking my own life on several occasions. The reason I'm here means that God still has some work for me to do, and I'm thankful that He's been with me through this time.
In the middle of that, I no doubt caused many family and friends to have some sleepless nights. I could feel a lot of anger, frustration, insecurity, hopelessness and depression. I would often post on my Facebook wall how sick I was of life and how often I wish I would have the guts to simply "end it all." Friends and family called, but I really didn't want to talk to anyone.
Then the call came.
It was a family emergency so serious that it shook me to the core — something I could scarcely believe.
It would be logical to assume that a blow like that would be the one that did it for me. I would finally give up and take my own life. That didn't happen. At the point when that call came, it stopped being about me.
What changed?
My attitude changed. I had gone from bitter to believer once again. I realized if I was going to help my family get through this, I would have to man up. The only way I knew how is through my walk with Jesus.
Each time, I'm reminded of this scripture:
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. John 15:4
That's about as simple as it gets. If you don't plug your TV into the electrical socket, it's not going to work. Stay away from the Source of life, and you can expect death.
Losing our walk with Christ is a lot like forgetting blog posts.
"I don't have time."
"I have too much on my mind to have to spend time with Him."
"But there's a great show on TV right now!"
"I'll do it later."
When later comes, you don't care anymore.
Our pastor often makes this statement, and I believe — through experience — that it's 100 percent true: If God seems far away, guess who moved. Jesus said he would never leave us or forsake us. If we don't feed our spiritual self, he dies. It reminds me of what Jesus said:
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” Matthew 4:4Our walk with Jesus was never going to be easy, but we can rest assured that He won't drag us along if we're not willing to go.
No comments:
Post a Comment