Hills and Valleys

Does your relationship with God ever feel like you’re going up and down mountains or hills? One week or month you’re on “top” of the hill, feeling really close to Him, doing good work for Him, praising Him throughout the days, and very focused on Him, but then you start drifting away -or “down” the hill- without even realizing it, starting to get out of the good habits you’d created such as spending intentional time with Him each day, and you become more focused on the things of this world, like pleasing yourself or speaking your own mind or obsessed with you-name-it the next week or month or few months later? I don’t know if this happens to everyone who follows God, but I feel that it happens to me often, and I just wanted to talk about it in this space and hopefully encourage you in some way.

I have good habits built into my daily routine that include Bible reading and prayer. And while these are good habits, I can still lose my focus as I get caught up in the day-to-day living. I spend a lot of time doing other things during my day that aren’t as God-focused as reading the Bible and praying are. Like anyone else, because it’s our human nature, I like to do what I want to do. That often includes reading, getting on social media, watching TV, doing blog-related stuff, and just living each day by my own agenda. I also like to think my own thoughts, as anyone would, especially naturally opinionated people like me. Sometimes I see someone doing something differently than I would do it and I comment aloud about it, or tell someone I’m close with about it and maybe complain about it, even if it has nothing to do with me and won’t affect me. I may be doing the “Christian” things, like reading my Bible every day, but I may not be living the rest of my day in the right mindset or with the right attitude.

When I feel close to God and feel good about how I’m living my life (on the “mountain”) usually it’s when I am spending more time praying about very specific things, mainly listening to and singing with praise and worship music, and working on bettering my behavior. These times feel good; I may hear God speaking to me, feel like I’m shining His light in the world, changing in good ways… I am very intentional about living for God. But then I start neglecting intentional quiet time with Him. I don’t feel like sitting or kneeling down and praying, so I don’t. I start listening to more fun, lighter music that isn’t specifically glorifying God, even though it doesn’t consist of “bad” songs, instead of listening to praise and worship. I start putting more time and energy into outfits, hair, and makeup than doing good works. I get into a rut, and even if I realize I’m in it and I know how to get out, it’s hard. Sometimes I think it would be easier if other people were encouraging me more or setting really good examples for me by serving or if I were a part of a really godly group who met or got together regularly, but… my relationship with God is no one’s responsibility but my own. No one else can make me get closer to God. No one else can make me keep going. I believe the Bible’s instructions on gathering together as believers and spurring one another on in good deeds are there for a reason, but I know that it’s up to me to maintain a good relationship with my Father. I often pray that God will help me become closer to Him, and He does, but relationships go two ways; I have to put in effort to maintain a good relationship with Him.

If this happens to any of you -feeling like you’re drifting, realizing you’re not in as good of a place as you once were or would like to be, in the “valley”- I implore you to not give up your good habits, even if you feel like they’re not helping. Sticking to my Bible reading and praying helps keep me grounded. It may not be everything that I’m supposed to be doing, but it’s at least something. Sometimes it feels like hanging on by a thread, but it’s still hanging on. So do not give up even when you feel far from God. Sometimes I kind of forget that the devil is a reality in my life and he is fighting to get me. But it is so important that we don’t forget that he is real and does want us to fall away from our faith in God. It’s nicer to not think about him -ignorance is bliss, isn’t it?- but we have to remember the truths of God’s word! Do not give up!

All that to say, I must stress this: God is faithful! Even when we’re not. His love is unfailing. It pulls us –me– back to Him when we start to drift away. He is there even when we don’t feel like He’s near. His love in unconditional, meaning He loves us no matter what we do. He wants us. He doesn’t want us to go astray. He rescues us. He redeems us. He is with us. I can’t thank Him enough for His faithfulness to me. I would be lost without it; I wouldn’t have what it takes to keep going without Him.

Although the cycle of hills and valleys may not end, and the devil will keep fighting, and we might feel like we’ll never be good enough (because we aren’t), we have a perfect Savior and Father, and He is our anchor and refuge and strength. So, again, I encourage you: Do not give up! God is faithful!

Also! Keep doing good for the sake of your brothers and sisters in Christ, even the small things. I believe it’s God who truly speaks to us, but He uses us in others’ lives. Some things that have encouraged me lately are simply posts on social media where people just shared something encouraging that was on their heart, something said in a sermon, or a song sang at a church service… You may not feel like what you say or do matters all that much, but it could really speak to someone even if they don’t tell you!

Thanks for being here today! If you would like me to pray for you, feel free to comment or send me an email at [email protected]. Keep fighting the good fight! <3