“While our sins and our failures separate us from God they can also be character-building opportunities if we allow God and His grace into our lives.”
I suppose we all have days when everything goes our way and we're on top of the world. And then there are times when nothing goes right and we wonder why we are here at all. The same can be true of our spiritual life. At least this has been true in my experience, perhaps yours as well.
During the good times, it's easy to see God at work around us. The sunrises and sunsets are glorious because they are evidence of God's daily activity in our world. We are sure that our prayers have been heard and do our best to wait for His answer, no matter what it might be. Daily trials are seen as character building opportunities in which we can become more like Christ. Serving others is easy, and stepping out in faith to do something beyond our normal abilities becomes an exciting adventure because God is guiding us.
And then there's The Desert. We've lost our connection to God. He may seem far away, or non-existent. Our lives may feel empty and without purpose, or we may feel anger towards God, ourselves, or others.
One reason we have lost our way is because we are unable to face up to our sins or unwilling to change once we recognize them. We have let Him down and we have let ourselves down. How can He still love and believe in us if we're disappointed and ashamed by what we have done?
Moses, destined for great things by God, killed a man. He ran away from everyone he knew and spent 40 years in the desert. Forty years in which he had very little to do but tend sheep and think about what a mess he'd made of his life. And what did God do? He met Moses in the desert and transformed him into a great prophet—one who would lead the slaves into the Promised Land.
While our sins and our failures separate us from God they can also be character-building opportunities if we allow God and His grace into our lives. Instead of turning away in shame, we simply need to ask for His forgiveness and be willing to change.
Separation from God can also occur when we feel He has let us down by not answering our prayers in the way we expected. A crisis had occurred in your life. A loved one has died or a relationship has fallen apart. Love has been removed from our lives and we can't find it in us to continue believing in a loving God when we hurt so badly. Why didn't He do something?
As hard as it is to believe, this is one of the times that God is closest to us. It's our perspective that's off. Whatever trial we're facing or disappointment we've experienced has to be looked at in the shadow of the Cross. Jesus suffered. He knows what we're going through and will walk with us. God lost his only son. He knows the pain we are feeling. Once we recognize this and allow God in the healing begins. Maybe slowly at first, but that's just because the hurt is so deep. Mourning is a part of the process but know that God will not let us face this alone.
And then there's what I'll call the Continental Drift. It's a slow shift in our lives and our purpose. Our focus turns from the spiritual to the material. We get busy in our day-to-day activities and God is pushed to the side or forgotten. Or, we just get burned out. Our life dulls and if we slow down enough to notice we may recognize that we have lost something precious.
Correcting our course requires a time-out. Stop and look at where we are and how we got there. Realigning our priorities is a must. It can be simple at first— begin once again with a daily devotion. This short time during the day will help us to slow down and open the door for God to re-enter. And then He will begin changing our lives in other ways as well.
I'd venture to say that each of us will find ourselves in the desert at one time or another. It can be a painful experience, or one in which we just feel lost. The important thing to remember is God has not left us. Take time to talk to Him and then just listen. Growth in our spiritual lives happens not only when we are climbing spiritual mountains, but also when we are wandering in the desert. Recognizing this will open our hearts and minds to a God who is with us always and longs to show us his love and mercy.