By Brandi Hafler
As a teen, Mike began hanging out with people who influenced him in negative ways and encouraged him to make unhealthy decisions.
He eventually found himself in a lonely emotional pit, filled with pain, guilt, and shame. He was unsure of how he got there, or how to pull himself out.
His job in sales allowed him to take potential customers out for lunch, which is how he met Josh. What began as a discussion over a burger about ways that Mike’s electrical contracting company could partner with Josh’s security system business ended in a fast friendship.
They both enjoyed hockey, country music, and hunting. Their friendship grew into more of a brotherhood. Josh helped Mike understand that his past did not overshadow the value of his presence or his future, and he no longer felt alone.
Over time, their friendship began to change. They still did things together, but their interactions became fewer. Conversations at hockey games were short and shallow. Car rides that were once filled with off-tune twangy singing were spent in silence. They were still together, but Josh seemed to be invisible. Mike went about the activities, working around Josh, as if he was a lamp, there to shine light when needed but otherwise, unimportant.
For some of us, this is our relationship with Jesus. When we first met Him, we were excited. Overjoyed. For the first time, we felt the opposite of lonely, experiencing a level of companionship that we did not know was possible. We wanted to spend every moment with Him. We talked to Him. We read about Him. We listened to Him. We told others about Him. We could not get enough.
Then, the newness wore off. Normal life continued. As we went about our daily routines, with its schedules and bills and responsibilities, the “first love” feelings faded and now we talk to Him less.
We pray before meals, ask Him to provide, but otherwise work around Him as if He is just part of the furniture. We might even forget that He is there, or begin to believe that He has abandoned us.
David wrote, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.” (Psalm 139:7-10 NIV)
King Saul falsely accused David of treason, tried to kill him, and caused him to hide in caves in the wilderness, literally making his “bed in the depths”. David still recognized the presence of God in every moment of his life. He knew that there is no place that we can go where God is not.
I have had days when I could constantly sense the presence of Jesus, and I have had days when I felt like He was distant. I believed that, if I did not see a display of His power or feel Him near, He must not be here.
I have come to understand that the absence was not of His presence, but of my acknowledgment of His presence. I can even spend time in His Word in the morning, and go through the rest of my day without thinking of Him as I complete the tasks before me. Yet He is always near, always listening, always waiting.
He is the friend who stands by, watching us go about our daily lives, desiring awareness, connection and attention. He is not forceful. He is patient. He is faithful.
One way that I battle my own obliviousness to His presence is to set a daily alert in my calendar at 3 p.m. that reads “Hosea 6:3.” When I see this in my notification, I recite the verse. “Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear. He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” Then I pause to acknowledge Him and seek Him. And as Jeremiah 29:13 reminds us, “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”
How can you acknowledge your Savior throughout your day?
—————
Brandi Hafler is the Connections Pastor at All Shores Wesleyan Church in Spring Lake. She loves spending time with her family, telling stories, and wearing silly socks. You can read more of her writing online at FoundUpon TheWaves.com.
As a teen, Mike began hanging out with people who influenced him in negative ways and encouraged him to make unhealthy decisions.
He eventually found himself in a lonely emotional pit, filled with pain, guilt, and shame. He was unsure of how he got there, or how to pull himself out.
His job in sales allowed him to take potential customers out for lunch, which is how he met Josh. What began as a discussion over a burger about ways that Mike’s electrical contracting company could partner with Josh’s security system business ended in a fast friendship.
They both enjoyed hockey, country music, and hunting. Their friendship grew into more of a brotherhood. Josh helped Mike understand that his past did not overshadow the value of his presence or his future, and he no longer felt alone.
Over time, their friendship began to change. They still did things together, but their interactions became fewer. Conversations at hockey games were short and shallow. Car rides that were once filled with off-tune twangy singing were spent in silence. They were still together, but Josh seemed to be invisible. Mike went about the activities, working around Josh, as if he was a lamp, there to shine light when needed but otherwise, unimportant.
For some of us, this is our relationship with Jesus. When we first met Him, we were excited. Overjoyed. For the first time, we felt the opposite of lonely, experiencing a level of companionship that we did not know was possible. We wanted to spend every moment with Him. We talked to Him. We read about Him. We listened to Him. We told others about Him. We could not get enough.
Then, the newness wore off. Normal life continued. As we went about our daily routines, with its schedules and bills and responsibilities, the “first love” feelings faded and now we talk to Him less.
We pray before meals, ask Him to provide, but otherwise work around Him as if He is just part of the furniture. We might even forget that He is there, or begin to believe that He has abandoned us.
David wrote, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.” (Psalm 139:7-10 NIV)
King Saul falsely accused David of treason, tried to kill him, and caused him to hide in caves in the wilderness, literally making his “bed in the depths”. David still recognized the presence of God in every moment of his life. He knew that there is no place that we can go where God is not.
I have had days when I could constantly sense the presence of Jesus, and I have had days when I felt like He was distant. I believed that, if I did not see a display of His power or feel Him near, He must not be here.
I have come to understand that the absence was not of His presence, but of my acknowledgment of His presence. I can even spend time in His Word in the morning, and go through the rest of my day without thinking of Him as I complete the tasks before me. Yet He is always near, always listening, always waiting.
He is the friend who stands by, watching us go about our daily lives, desiring awareness, connection and attention. He is not forceful. He is patient. He is faithful.
One way that I battle my own obliviousness to His presence is to set a daily alert in my calendar at 3 p.m. that reads “Hosea 6:3.” When I see this in my notification, I recite the verse. “Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear. He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” Then I pause to acknowledge Him and seek Him. And as Jeremiah 29:13 reminds us, “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”
How can you acknowledge your Savior throughout your day?
—————
Brandi Hafler is the Connections Pastor at All Shores Wesleyan Church in Spring Lake. She loves spending time with her family, telling stories, and wearing silly socks. You can read more of her writing online at FoundUpon TheWaves.com.
