Squirrel!

Refusing To Live a Distracted Life

Maturity in Christ is obvious by how close we stick to God. Like young children, though, we are so eager to prove we’re “grown up” enough to leave his side. No, I can do it by myself! No, I don’t want to hold your hand!

But there will never be a time we’ll live life better than when we are completely dependent on God and realize that right next to him is our favorite place to be.

He knows us.

He knows the seriousness of sin and how little power we have to fight it on our own.
That reminds me of the hymn, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing by Robert Robinson. “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love; here’s my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above.”

Everything is clear in God’s presence, isn’t it? His magnificence awes us. We know perfect love. We think, OK this is it, I’m cured! God is always first in my life from now on! But all we have to do is walk a few steps away or look away at that “squirrel” for a moment and all that conviction disappears.

I see why God makes sure we have so many reminders. The Old Testament, in particular, is full of special dates, feasts, sacrifices, and ceremonies. Names reflected obedience, stones were named and piled up to remind people where important events occurred. It wasn’t because God only loves rules or wants to make us jump through hoops but because God loves us. We desperately need those constant reminders of who he is and what he has done to have any hope of living a good and blessed life.

So let’s continue to surround ourselves with reminders and work them into our day. We can have scheduled times with God that aren’t optional but a priority. We can memorize his word, frequently sing his praises and set regular prayer times. We can surround ourselves with Godly friends that challenge us to put him first and attend church faithfully. We can do all these things not because it makes God love us any more, because that isn’t even possible! But we do these things because we so easily settle for loving God less.