I have always felt uncomfortable writing and speaking about my faith or my Journey with God when I was a teenager. I’m sure others have felt the same way. If I spoke openly about a retreat or church weekend with other teenagers, there would always be someone asking, “oh do you think you are better than everyone now?” Or “so, now are you one of those holy rollers (whatever that is)?” And so, since I was a scared kid who was bullied – a lot, I wouldn’t talk about it. Then gradually, slowly, the wonderful loving thoughts and feelings that I had after the event, which made me feel whole, well, they would subside and eventually go away. Till the next event or weekend. But what kind of relationship is that?
As sad as that sounds, that was my relationship with God and Jesus throughout my teenage years and throughout college. Thank God that isn’t the end of the story or this would be one pathetically short blog, not to mention the end of my walk toward and with God. But, as with most things, God is patiently waiting for us to turn to Him.
The Struggle in My Journey with God
I know that I am not alone in this, as a grade-schooler and teenager – I wanted to be accepted, or popular, have friends (you know, the cool ones that everyone likes), or maybe just be included. So, I would try and do and be things that would get me accepted. The problem was that would lead to bending or breaking my moral principles. Kids start verbally teasing a boy, and instead of standing up for him, I would laugh to be part of the “in” group – though I would feel bad about it. Funny thing is, once you start down that path, each time it becomes easier and easier to laugh at those kids; and I felt less and less regret. That is definitely not the way to build any type of moral character. And that is the Struggle!
Zig Ziglar once said,
“you never make the world a brighter place by putting out the candle of another person.”
One simple act of kindness; hold the door open for a stranger, allow someone else to go first, give of your time without expecting anything in return – all selfless simple acts of kindness. Those are the things that bring light into the world. Our daily actions will either bring us closer to God, or turn us away from God. The thing is God allows us the choice – so think about what you choose each day.
Who Are You In Your Journey with God
This is a very deep question. It defines who we are. You see, everything that we say and do to others comes from what we think about. And that which we spend our time thinking about, well, that comes from the desires of our heart.
Think of it this way. If you love Sports, says football! Then you talk to others about football. You watch football. You read articles and news on your favorite team. You buy football jerseys and other clothes. You invest time and money into football.
So, why don’t we do that with God. How much more important is our relationship with God, than say football. Don’t get me wrong, I love the game of football – and the excitement when my Kansas City Chiefs come together and win a Super Bowl – but that isn’t getting me closer to salvation and eternity with God.
Where you put your time and money, that’s where your heart is – so reflect on that. Are you focusing on what is most important to you?
In the following pages, I want to share with you the struggles I am having in my Daily Walk with God. With the challenges will come successes; with those times that I slip and fall, I know there will be times to celebrate. And even in the pain and suffering, there are lessons to be learned. Lord knows, I want to learn those lessons the first time. Because if I don’t, I’ll go through that again and again till I do learn the lesson. Life works that way because that is how God designed it. See you on the Journey with God!