Life in the Pit

Ever heard the saying "the road to hell is paved with good intentions?" I feel like that's the theme of my life some days. Lately, I'm realizing that I'm not able. Most of my life I've had to do things for myself, even as a child, and so admitting that I'm not capable of doing something is huge blow to my independent self-sufficient type A personality.

I don't believe that I purposely set out to undermine God or to prove that I can do things on my own, but I'm learning that I often do just that. God would want me to seek Him and let Him walk with me through my days, guiding my steps. Yet, I fail so many times. I fall down daily. I screw up daily. This act of submitting ourselves to Christ and taking up our crosses and following is not something that comes easily to me.

My pastor preached last Sunday about prayer. It was a powerful message and I pray that it did not fall on deaf ears. He said that when we cease to pray and spend time with the Lord that are in essence telling God that we don't need to rely or depend upon Him. Our lack of prayer could be one of two things: pride or unbelief. When we stop praying and start living according to our own strengths and abilities, rather than relying upon God, we exalt ourselves and devalue Christ and our relationship with the Father. Thinking long on that is enough to stop us dead in our tracks.

His suggestion for dealing with this part of our lives was to set aside a special time and place where you get closer to God through Bible study, worship, and prayer. He talked about how he prepared his place every night in anticipation of the following morning meeting with the Lord. What a wonderful thought- to anticipate and be excited about spending time with Jesus. Many of us have forgotten- myself included- the joy that we are supposed to have in Christ.

Pick a place. Pick a time. Pick a method. Spend time with your savior. He loves each one of us so much. Don't let the day slip by without meeting with Him and being refreshed in His word. Climb out of the pit and stand on the mountain top. God can realign your perspective :) I'm praying He does the same for me.