The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
There have been seasons in my life when I’ve felt like I was drifting. Like I was out at sea with no clear way back to shore.
Not because God moved, but because I did. I’ve made mistakes. We all do. I’ve let sin creep in slowly, quietly, until it built a wall I couldn’t see over. And in those moments, I didn’t feel far from God because He had left me, I felt far because I had stopped turning toward Him.
I whole heartedly believe that sometimes when we are hurting and asking God why when things are happening to us that don’t seem fair, that God is trying to bring us back to Him. Maybe because for too long, we have turned away.
I think a lot of us go through that. Especially in a small towns where everyone knows everyone, it’s easy to wear the right smile, attend the right events, and still carry a quiet ache inside.
And also sometimes it’s not so easy to even show our face in public. We feel ashamed thinking everyone is looking at us. Silently judging us for what we’ve done. But we all feel a longing to feel close to God again. To hear His voice. To feel forgiven.
The beautiful thing I’ve learned is that God is never the one who turns His back. He waits. He stays. Like the wonderful forgiving Father he is, He runs to us the moment we take one step back toward Him.
For me, it started with honesty. I had to admit where I’d gone wrong as hard as that was.
I brought it all to Him in prayer, even if my words were messy, my eyes full of tears, and my heart still hurting. It wasn’t perfect but He doesn’t want perfect. He wants you for you.
Yes, even the messy version of you. I started talking to Him like I would a friend. Slowly, the warmth returned. Slowly, I started to feel Him near again.
If you’ve ever felt distant from God, please know you are not alone. Feeling like you’ve wandered too far for redemption can feel lonesome but know that He’s not far off. He’s just waiting for you to come home.