Let's talk for a second. Are you where you want to be spiritually? Are you growing at the rate you want to be? Do you feel as if there's something in between you and God? Do you want to be closer to Him? Me too. We should always want to be closer to God but sometimes things come up in between us and Him.

At the very beginning of 2017, I had the honor of attending the Passion Conference with my friends in Atlanta, Georgia. It was such an incredible trip and an even better experience being in the presence of the Lord for such a long time. Going into the week, I had high expectations for what God was going to do because of all that He had done in the past during Passion. If we're being honest, I wasn't really focused during the first half or so of the conference. I had a lot of distractions coming in and that hindered my ability to learn and listen to Him. During the second day, I ended up getting sick and not being able to attend the last night. While I was laid up in the hotel sicker than I've been in a while, the presence of the Lord was the most evident I've ever experienced. Sometimes God has to remove everything in front of us so our eyes have no choice but to focus on Him.

The problem I've found in my own life is that I get distracted from who God is. I lose sight of what He's done for me and all that He continues to do around me. Losing sight of Him can also lead us to become unappreciative of what He does and has done in our lives. Shouldn't the King of Heaven who continues to provide breath in our lungs be ever on our minds? But He's not, is He?

Life is hard. It comes with so many different distractions. My prayer is that we remember Who it is we should continue to focus on. Through all the challenges and temporary things this world has to offer us, may we look past all the muck and mire of this world and keep our eyes where they belong; focused on Jesus. Much love and God bless.