Does this sound familiar?
You started coming to church and hanging out with all these happy Christians. At first everything was exciting, you had never been in a church like this, the people were all so nice, the music was great, the preacher made sense. You couldn’t wait for each weekend to get here, and you looked forward to coming to church. You even took notes and looked up verses during the week.
After a while, and you’re not exactly sure when… something changed.
Don’t get me wrong.
You still love your church family and you still go to church, most of the time… but you don’t have that same excitement. Reading your Bible is feels more like homework and praying has become nothing more than something you have to do before you eat.
What happened? What did you do wrong?
How did you get from being so excited and “on fire” to the point where you ask is this really worth it anymore?
The good news is that most likely NOTHING is wrong with you.
We all go through times like this in our relationship with God. Just like any other relationship you have; there are seasons when everything is great and you are excited to spend time together and there are also seasons when making time for each other takes work. (Of course in our relationship with God, He is constant and the issues in our relationship our definitely on our end. Heb 13:8)
Reading the Bible, Praying, Worship, even going to church, all of these thing take work. We want our hearts to always be in it, and for things to be exciting like they once were. But I know myself, and I know my heart…. And sometimes I need to push through and pursue my relationship with God even when it feels like work. I have found that when I obey my heart eventually comes around, and the excitement that I thought I had lost is back.
So how do you keep on track?
How do you push through when things get tough? Unlike most of life, for this one there is a simple answer.
God’s people.
That’s right, I have found time and again, when I have struggled, when my heart has grown cold, when I get tired… it is the people around me who help me through (often without even knowing it). They have encouraged me, challenged me, and supported me. We need each other, so get connected, reach out… Don’t try to do this life alone.