Life is rough sometimes. I’m sure you know that full and well. You feel like things are going great one minute and then the next you’re wondering how in the world things could get so bad, so fast. That’s life for you though, things are never going to stay consistently great, as lovely as that would be. But what’s amazing is that even when life makes you feel less than what you are, God still sees you the same. He still looks at you and says, “You are fearfully and wonderfully made.” Ugh, just can’t wrap my head around that sometimes.
He’s amazing, am I right?! He loves us even when we fall away from him; he loves us even when we fall short and there is no denying that we have all been guilty of this. And if you are currently trying to deny it, you need to go ahead and take a look at Romans 3:23 where it specifically says, “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” It’s inevitable. We’re going to mess up. Some more than others, but that's not important. We’re going to hit spots in our life where nothing we do is going to seem right. Our purpose in life is unknown to us and the biggest thing we have going on in life is the big Netflix date we have with ourselves later.
God knew that this was in the cards for us; he knows that we are imperfect humans, we will make mistakes and we will fall away. This is no surprise to him. He doesn’t see us making mistakes and think to himself, “Wow, I really didn’t see this one coming.”
He is the Creator of all things. He made YOU. I mean like, yeah technically your parents did (shout-out to you guys!!) but in reality, He did. He knows your future, your past, and your present. Just take a look at Psalm 139 if you ever start to doubt that cause that'll reassure ya real fast. So yeah, he can probably see when you are starting to fall away.
It happens to the vast majority of us. Life comes at us full swing and leaves us wondering, “Why me?” Sometimes things just get to a point where you don’t feel like God is that present in your life so you slowly start to drift away from him. You get involved with people who are by no means bad, but just don’t build you and your faith up the way they need to. You find yourself not caring about the decisions you make because you are already so far gone. However, there is no such thing as “too far gone.” Let me say that again, just for good measure. There is no such thing as too far gone in God’s eyes.
My advice for getting yourself back on track, getting your relationship with God back to where it needs to be, and finding the motivation and desire to continually pursue God is this: surround yourself with those who help build you up and want the same things as you.
Have Your Voice Heard: Become an Odyssey Creator
**Quick disclaimer: I'm no expert, however I don't think anyone is when it comes to faith. There is always so much more we can learn and experience through God so while my advice isn't like endorsed by the New York Times or something (however my dad read it and liked it so same thing, right??), it could be exactly what just one person needed to hear and could help just one person. And that's my goal here.**
For me, I started at a new school and while yes, I still had my faith, I wasn’t continually pursuing God the way I needed to. For me, it took finding a new church to attend considering I had to leave my home church behind when I moved. However, I know that going to a new church by yourself is not ideal and a little awkward (especially for those who are unbearably awkward aka me!!).
I took a leap of faith (pun 100% intended) and asked someone to go with me. We found a church where we really felt God’s presence. And let me tell you, feeling the presence of God is so amazingly overwhelming when you haven’t felt it in a while. After that, my heart was back on fire. I instantly wanted to repair my relationship with my Maker and strengthen it even more so than it was before.
When I got home from church that day, I made a playlist on Spotify of all my favorite Christian songs that I knew would help reassure me if I were to feel myself start to fall away again. One song that really stuck out to me was Resurrecting by Elevation Worship. The song had played at church that morning and I got chills.
"By Your spirit I will rise
From the ashes of defeat
The resurrected king
Is resurrecting me"
I don't know about you guys, but those lyrics couldn't be more true for me. What an amazing feeling to know He is continually pursuing us even when we feel like there is no hope.
I truly believe that by consuming yourself with music that worships Him, you are instantly brought into a better place. This music lifted me up in a way that no other thing had in a while. So there’s another tip: listen to music praising Him. It can make any day better, even Mondays. No, really. Believe me guys, it works wonders.
Lastly something else that helped me was just simply prayer. I know, what an easy and somewhat cliche answer. But listen, I’m by no means great at praying, as if there is any such thing, but I simply just started talking to God. Driving in the car? Say a quick prayer. Tell Him your worries and doubts for that day or even things you’re excited for. You real pumped about that leftover pizza you're gonna eat later? Guarantee He cares. Even about the pizza. Little things like that go such a long way in repairing a faith that has been shaken.
Overall, struggling in your faith is bound to happen at one point or another, but what you need to remember is that God never leaves you, even when you fall away. He never gives up on you. I know it all sounds so much easier said than done. Believe me, I know first-hand. When you find yourself struggling, just remember Romans 8:38-39.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The resurrected king is resurrecting me.