Sometimes I forget. Sometimes it’s my lunch for work…sometimes it’s a change to our website…sometimes it’s just to simply say “thank you.” One of the most important things I forget is to draw near to God during the difficult times.
I’ll admit that I’m better at this than I used to be, but I’m far from perfect. Sometimes when a problem arises I simply focus solely on the problem and try to find a solution. This seems like a logical process, but when I step back and look at it there is a fatal flaw: God is not in the equation. I jump straight to my own strength/knowledge and ignore His. That’s probably why this equation *usually* only works for trivial problems that only affect me. Stuff like not being able to find my shoes (although sometimes this affects my wonderful wife :)) or when a string breaks on my guitar.
When there is a problem that involves eternity/relationships this equation usually just makes things worse. The equation needs to shift to something like this: Go to God…listen for His direction…try to follow what He says. If I stick to this system then I will constantly be drawing closer to God. There is a lyric in the song Movements by the Rend Collective Experience that illustrates this:
I wanna stand firm when my mind’s weak and my emotions squirm. I wanna stand true. Whatever hurts, I’ll keep making movements to You.
When a problem arises that causes pain in me or someone around me I need to remember to keep moving toward God. He will help me/us through it. It is more important to stand firm in Him than it is to focus on the problem and obsess about a solution. When we continue to move toward God, He will continue to move in us.