Babes

I held forty-three babies yesterday.  They had short tender little arms and curled-up legs eager to find some solid ground in which to stretch-out.  They had no heads and were green all over of course, but each one had it's own unique look and personality.

Some had sprouted quickly from seedling while others were a bit more stubborn.  Jerry Thompson, their caregiver, talked to me about each one, how he had nutured them in his windowsill during the cold winter days and fathered them with just the right conditions to give them everything they needed for life and fruitfulness.

Apparently, little tomato plants need a lot of attention in their early days if they are going to have any chance of surviving, let alone bearing fruit.  From the moment they poke their little heads through the soil, they lean toward the sun.  Jerry said they must be rotated everday or they will just grow sideways, all laid-over reaching for the light.  And their stems need resistance to make their bodies strong, so Jerry turns on the ceiling fan in his sunroom to gently discipline the sprouts to stand tall.

By the time I saw them, each baby tomato plant was eager to spread it's roots and show what it could do.  Gently and with special attention to hole depth and just the right amount of fertilizer, we tucked each plant into it’s garden bed, willing each one to do it’s best.  And I could not help but think of God’s hand on each one of us.

He knits us together in our mother’s womb and smiles with pride as we uncurl our legs to find our feet on the solid ground he offers.  He designed us for the Light but allows sometimes gentle breezes and sometimes even storms because disciplining is good for us; it makes us stand stronger in that Light.  He has prepared a bed of nourishment is for us through Christ in His Spirit in which we can take root and bear the fruit he intends, and he’s willing each of us to do our best. Clearly, apart from his soil we can do nothing.  

God has wonderful things planned for us in his garden.  I invite you to spend a little time with him there.

Feeling a Connection with God

We've all been there, if we're honest with ourselves and each other: times when we just don't feel a connection with God. The lack of a connection can be discouraging and most certainly leads to a lapse in our prayer life, our church attendance, our Bible reading, and most things that are spiritual. It opens us up to temptation, wrong priorities, shortsightedness, and emptiness.

When you feel no connection with God, what to do?

1) Admit it to yourself. The most important step in solving any problem is to fully recognize it. King David certainly struggled with his connection with God from time to time. One thing that David had going for him is this: he valued his relationship with God and when he felt disconnected, he urgently pursued God until he felt connected again.

Here is some encouragement for you: David was a man who committed every sin that a person could commit, including murder! Yet, he was described as a "man after [God's] own heart!" (Acts 13:22). David could admit his faults, express sorrow for them, and turn to God for healing. David was able to say, "The Lord is MY shepherd, I shall not want..." Connection re-established!!

2) Admit it to a friend(s). Fortunately, I have numbers of spiritual friends that I can turn to when I feel disconnected from God. I will tell them how I'm feeling, what's lacking, and what's hurting, and often admit that I really don't know how to express my emptiness. Having a real close friend that will hold me accountable and will allow me to hold him accountable is a difference maker. Many times, during these talks, I will feel the need to pray, but not feel the ability or worthiness to pray. My friend will pray for me. A man named Simon, formerly a magician, found himself in this predicament. He requested that Peter pray for him to help re-establish a connection with God (Acts 8).

Find a friend that you can talk to and admit your broken connection with God. Let him help.

3) Admit your disconnect to God Himself. This is often the most difficult part, but not because God wants it that way! For most of us, it is difficult to admit our faults, our weaknesses and our relationship difficulties to anyone, much less a Divine being that we can't see. Yet, despite His majesty, His sovereignty, and His position as the Supreme Creator and Ruler of the universe, God wants very much to have a relationship with us. He has taken it upon Himself to reach out to us and make Himself known to us through nature, through science, and through the Bible.

Our struggle with a relationship with God is often the same as our struggles with any other broken relationship - we just don't know what to say!

Why not simply say to God something along these lines:

"God, I don't know what to say to you. So let me just be direct. Please bear with me and be merciful to me. I want to improve my relationship with you. I want to feel a connection. I want to get to know you. I don't know where to start. But, since you've gone to all the trouble to try and communicate with me, I'll make a feeble attempt at a response. Be patient with me as I get better at talking with you. I recognize you for what You are and for what I am. I will become a better listener. I will try this again soon. I'm reaching out to you because of the door opened by Christ. In Jesus' name, Amen."

We all need that connection with God. It's the only guarantee for improving our immediate spiritual health and ensuring our eternal well being.