I know keeping a strong faith and walk with God can be difficult. All we can do is try our best. We can mess up sometimes. We’re not perfect. I know I’m not.
Lately I’ve found myself easily distracted. I get caught up in my everyday lifestyle like everyone else. With school, work, and family I hardly find time to pray anymore. I find myself drifting from my best friend. I make up excuses and make plans to try to make up for not reading my bible, praying, and spending time with him. I tell myself that I have to finish my homework first, I have to talk to my friends and family first, I have to rest after work first. I don’t often say I have to put God first. My parents tell me to get some rest and do well in school, but after everything is done and it’s the end of the day they ask if I spent time in the word or if I took a few minutes to pray.
We have such busy lives that it can eat us whole. I just read Psalm 51 and I realized I had drifted away. It takes little effort to drift away from God, but it requires great strength to make your way back. This Psalm talks about how we know what we have done wrong against God and the request of help and cleansing. When you come to know what you have done and accept it it’s good, but when you lay it before God and let him clean you and set you on your path it’s great. It takes a big person to admit to their wrong doings and takes a bigger servant, a child of God, to seek out forgiveness so he or she can live for God by his will.
So for lent this year I’m going to take time away from the less important things in my life like Facebook, television, and just being lazy. I’m going to give all that new spare time to more important things like friends, family, and the person I want to start putting first. God. There is no other person who deserves more of my time, all of my time. There are so many things that we put ahead of God. Saying that just a few minutes won’t hurt. Those few minutes grow and add up. Even in the little moments we can be spending time with God.
It’s ok if you haven’t been spending as much time with God as you need to because now you can start fresh. If you have sinned now is the time to ask for forgiveness. God will give you a clean slate. Once you’re forgiven you should better yourself by reading the bible and going to church. One thing that helps me the most to stay close to God is reading the bible and worshipping him on my own at home. It’s not hard.
Kathren Jones is a camper from Alloway, N.J., where she attends a local high school and is active in her church. Image credit: Adam Solorio, via CreationSwap
