My Long Distance Relationship... with God

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For many years I have felt like God has been playing this big joke on me.  He created me very people oriented and then placed all my people hundreds of miles away.  I've struggled with but also thrived in my long distance relationships.  I've had relationships that have formed entirely over long distance and relationships that simply continued to be long distance after meeting at a camp or on a mission trip.  In the beginning, these friendships taught me the importance of being a prayer warrior, and how prayer can bring people closer to one another even miles apart.  To this day the long distance relationships that support my life are the best gifts God has ever given to me.  As I started to complain to God about my relationships all being long distance, He gracefully reminded me that everything He does is done for a reason.

Distance is physical, not spiritual.  Distance builds spiritual strength. 

I've come to realize my relationship with Christ is long distance.  Any of you who have experienced or invested in long distance relationships of any kind will realize that they take a ton of work. 

Communication and trust are key.  

The moment you lose communication not only does it feel like there are miles in between you physically but you feel distant and lonely as well.  Realizing this shined the importance on communicating with God.  Not praying out of obligation but praying out of a desire to build a relationship with Christ.  Upon building this relationship, I realized I had to build trust as well and I not only had to trust God but become a trustworthy servant.  Proverbs 3:5-6 states "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on you own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."  I have said that I trust God, but I don't truly trust God.  I still lean on my own understanding and then worry and become anxious.  I know that I will fail.  NO doubt or question about it.  If I say, I trust God but pursue the world... I will fail.  As a trustworthy servant, I must abandon the world and pursue God.  The difficult part about this trust is that it is a trust unseen.  You have to lean on the Lord and take His hand even when you can't physically see His hand.  He isn't there physically in the flesh to say "I've got this, trust me." or hold you as you worry and cry over things He has already planned out.  However, He is there spiritually.  Then it is in the moments that you get to look back that you see God's hand working and moving.  The trust that was once on faith alone is now in sight, as you get to watch Him lay new puzzle pieces down in your life.  
How is your long distance relationship with God?  Are you counting down the days to see Him?  Are you ignoring that relationship and pursuing the world?

Pursue the Lord.  Trust Him.  Instead of worrying where you will trip or slip up acknowledge that since you are trusting the Lord, your paths are straight.  Lean not on your own understanding.  Most days we honestly have no clue what God is doing.  Trust the Lord with everything you have.  Not only with the little things you know you can handle but with the things that scare you to let go of.  Trust Him with all your heart.

In Pursuit of Christ,           
Lizzy                      




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