It’s easy for us to have a tough time being fully present. Instead, we constantly prepare for the future or analyze the past. As Christians, we are accustomed to hearing about Jesus being our greatest teacher. But we don’t often consider the fact that Jesus is one of the best teachers for something else: living in the present.
The main reason we worry is actually plain and simple: We are trying to protect ourselves. It doesn’t make much sense. After all, being afraid and worried does not prevent problems or make us more able to handle them. But it comes from a part of our thinking that isn’t quite rational.
Do you ever wonder if you’re doing enough to please God? Sometimes we don’t think we should let go of being hard on ourselves because that’s too easy. While we tend to make it all about us, He wants us to shift our gaze and make it all about Him. He wants it to be all about faith. That’s what pleases God. That’s what unlocks His power in our lives.
There is a verse in the Psalms that really hits home to me: “My soul finds rest in God alone” (Psalm 62:1). It’s a statement that I remind myself often. Because, like many of us, it’s easy for my soul to seek rest in other places. Our circumstances can easily rule our emotions if we let them. But God doesn’t want us to be at the mercy of our varied life events, or the hopeless perspective we can sometimes have about them.
Have you been praying for years for certain people or situations? I have. I know that God has called these people, and I know who they can be and the healing God has in store. I also pray for situations I yearn to improve, even after years of stagnancy. But so far, those miraculous changes I’ve longed for remain seemingly at bay.
At various times in the Christian walk, God can feel like a close friend, or like some vague figure in the distance. Most of us will go through times at both ends of the spectrum. But especially if you’re feeling far from God, here are some strategies you can practice to help you build that sense of closeness to Him.