Distance

There has been an underlying theme to my thoughts and actions lately...'distance'. I am realizing more and more, that the easy thing to do in life is to distance ourselves from people and relationships to seemingly better cope with things in our own lives. I think sometimes we tell ourselves that 'distance' will protect us from misunderstanding, judgement and rejection, and ultimately a level of pain that we don't quite feel adequate to handle. For me, it's the point where I feel emotionally out of control so I adjust and attempt to take back some control through my actions of withdrawal. I have found that I am repeatedly falling into this hole of isolation and I wanted to sit down and really put some thought into why?...and how scripture relates to it all.

Hebrews 10: 22-2
A Call to Persevere in Faith
22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

I love the fact that meeting together is spoken about in scripture pertaining to 'persevering in faith'. It just reiterates the fact that we can't rely on our own strength or ability to be successful at anything in this life. I think when we trust that the Lord wants us to prosper, we can see a clearer picture on the impact of relationships:

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I absolutely believe that we were not made to navigate this life alone. I believe that the Lord calls us to meet and gather together and encourage each other in our faith and in our walk with the Lord. I have watched my relationships suffer the most when I am sad, angry or bitter about how my dreams have changed. The times in my life when I should allow the Lord to work on my heart through relationships with others, are the times when I shut down and close myself off from everyone. It is a vicious cycle. It's almost like, when I know what it is that I need to do...it is at a time when I am least likely to do it. The emotional turmoil of navigating life these days is inevitable, but opening ourselves up to the encouragement from others, provides a way to push through.

I want to have faith enough in God's promises to allow myself to let go and pursue relationships in my life. It seems I do a better job of letting people in through these words on a blog post, than in person and with people that are actively involved in my life. I want to turn off my radar of making people uncomfortable and being too much for people to handle. I want to learn to trust that the relationships that the Lord provides for us are specially designed by Him.

~Whitney