Life is a whirlwind, a roller coaster, a strange journey. Life is difficult often; it brings us pain, confusion, frustration, and doubt. When these times hit, we run to God, cry out to Him, struggle to depend on Him and trust Him. These can be very formative experiences in our lives. However, these times do not make up the our existence. Life also brings us joy. We delight in friendships, we are captivated by romance, we are dignified through our fruitful work, and we enjoy many other treasures. There are times of peace, joy, laughter, and wonder at the beauty of life. During these times, we tend to forget of God, the Giver of these blessings. We begin to narrow our focus onto the goods themselves, causing our minds to praise the goods, beholding them as the source of goodness themselves. This process is subtle, and often slow. This enthrallment, wonder, and captivation begins to be shifted onto creation.
It is not difficult to become side-tracked, to adjust our fixation, since it is our choice to do so, and “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). God is often forgotten, removed from His rightful place of receiving all glory and honor, and desired only when in dire need of Him. Treating God like this is pitiful. In hopes of honoring God more, I will offer two practices that have helped me to adore God amidst joyful circumstances and credit Him as the source of this goodness. I hope they strengthen your communion with God, allowing for greater focus on and exaltation of the Giver of all good things.
I find it very important to engage your spirit against your flesh. Search your heart and spend time in vigorous mental battles with yourself, asking yourself why you tend to forget God during the times of blessing in your life. Maybe you desire the blessings more than God, and therefore use God to get more through prayer? Through this practice, we learn better how to pray. We know how to pray because we begin to grow in deeper knowledge of ourselves. In addition with waging mental war with yourself, pray. Specifically, pray that furthering the kingdom of God would be of greater priority in your life.
Pray for the veil of distraction to be removed from your eyes, that you may better see life through the lens of Christ. By this, you will become more aware of the depravity of the world, and its great need for the glorious gospel. You will grow in compassion, and you will struggle less to forget God, for the mission of bringing him to others will be at the front of your mind. You will grow in adoration of Him, sent to wonder when He blesses you. When furthering the kingdom of God is of more ease, you will see the blessings and experience delight because of your strength and passion.
We all become distracted, but that is no excuse to stay that way. God is worthy of all honor, and the adoration of Him in times of favor be of greater importance to us.
