Distractions!

When I was little, my parents taught me about God. I remember having family devotionals together, listening to my folks read Bible Stories to me, and singing church songs in the car. My most favorite times were the nightly talks I had with my dad before bed. I can still recall sitting up in my bed, and dad sitting on the edge talking with me about God and Heaven. I would ask things like, "What do you think God looks like?" or "What do you think Heaven is going to be like?" Even though my dad couldn't answer all of the questions I had, he always just listened, and he would just honestly answer me with, "I don't know, but I know we are going to love being there with God and all of His glory!" I cherish those moments with my dad, and he will never know how much that impacted the life that I live now. If my parents had not spent time with me talking about Jesus when I was young, I really wouldn't care now, and my focus would be on THIS world, not the next one. Thank you just isn't enough to tell my parents how grateful I am that they taught me about God. I know so many children don't get that opportunity, I am so blessed. I remember feeling so close to God when I was a kid, He was always on my mind, and I always thought of Him no matter where I was or what I was doing. I loved to sing praises to Him, and talk with Him. I just knew He was always around, watching over me anywhere I was. Didn't matter if I was inside watching TV or outside playing with the neighbor kids. He was ALWAYS present to me, and I always tried hard to make Him happy. Something happened as I grew older. In high school, I felt myself growing distant from God. Not really turning away from Him, but He just wasn't in my mind at all times like He was when I was a child. Something had changed, but what was it? After I graduated high school, I thought what would get me back on track was attending a Christian college. I just knew God would be there, just the way I felt Him as a child. So I go away to college, and I'm in a Christian environment day after day, but yet...I still don't feel that closeness to God that I felt as a child. There were so many things going on in college from pledging clubs, to singing in the chorus, to going out on dates and club functions, to hanging out with your friends in the student center, to tons of homework...where was God in all this? He just didn't seem present, ever. I found myself falling asleep in chapel because I stayed up too late every night doing homework...oh well, let's be honest, I wasn't doing homework, but talking half the night with my roommate and friends. :-) It seemed God was getting further away from me no matter how hard I tried, but why? I longed for those times of the presence I felt with Him as a child. As I grew older, I finally realized the problem. A word called distractions. That's what keeps me from focusing on Him. The "stuff" in life that clouds my view, bogs me down, and causes me to worry...all of these things that were never a distraction for a kid. To this day, I still get distracted and forget that the presence of God is EVERYWHERE. He's sitting right beside me as I type this blog, yet some days, He seems so distant. But God is not distant. He never goes anywhere, I'm the one that is distant and goes away. I'm tired of the distractions, and forgetting He's always near. But somewhere deep inside, I still find that kid in me that knows He is always with me everywhere I go. And that feeling is what keeps me on track. God Bless!