Do you ever forget? Forget that you have a loving God and a savior who gave His life for you?
Because I have. And I think if we’re all honest, we’d have to admit that there are times in our lives when we do forget.
And what a ridiculous thing to forget. The God of all creation and His Son, Jesus Christ, who literally died for me, are the most important people in my life. And I still forget. How does that happen?
Well, life happens. And life doesn’t just give us lemons, it throws stones too. And before we know it, we are running around trying to escape rocks and sticks and all the other stuff that life brings.
Chaos ensues and we’re dodging and weaving and protecting and fighting until we’re battered and exhausted.
And we forget.
“Be careful not to forget the LORD your God so that you fail to obey his commands, laws, and rules that I am giving to you today.” Deuteronomy 8:11
We forget that we don’t have to battle alone. We forget that we have the mightiest of warriors on our side. And we forget that we can have peace in the midst of all the slings and arrows that are aimed at us.
For me, I tend to repeat this struggle over and over again. I try to carry the weight of the world on my puny shoulders until I inevitably crash. Only when I am laying on the ground, too tired to move, do I finally pay attention to God’s voice saying, “Um, remember me?”
And then I feel like a fool. How could I have forgotten … AGAIN?
The thing is, God lets us forget Him. He doesn’t like it, but He lets us. He watches as we try to struggle through each of our hectic days as though we are the queens of our destinies. He sees us make decisions without Him. He watches as we march to the beat of our own drums. And for a while it seems to work. Oh, how strong we feel when we conquer life’s catastrophes. Look at us go!
We are women, hear us roar.
And then, our houses built on sand crumble to the ground and God shakes His head. “There she goes again,” He mumbles to Himself.
And most miraculously, He forgives us as we crawl back to Him.
“I’m sorry,” I choke out through tears. “I forgot again.”
“I know,” He replies. “Shall we start over?”
And I crawl into His lap and find solace there.
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18
Getty | Brusinski
This year, life has not just thrown a few sticks and stones at me. It has thrown trees and boulders. Pain and fear and heartache have surrounded me. Well-meaning friends have said, “You got this,” “You can do this” and other encouraging sentiments. So, I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and I soldiered on. I marched into battle carrying every weapon I could find. And they were heavy, and I was tired and all I wanted to do was crawl under a tree and cry.
“Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 1 Kings 19:5
I come from a long line of independent people. People who pride themselves on getting through impossible trials on their own. They didn’t rely on God or anyone else. They were tough and proud of it. And, they were so, so wrong.
God will let us carry on alone. He doesn’t force Himself upon us. If we want to forge our own path, so be it. That path will ultimately lead to destruction, but He’ll let us stumble along. Sure, there is some temporary pride in thinking we are invincible, and that our way is the easier and more carefree one, but the farther you go on your own path, the more roadblocks, gulleys and traps will appear.
This year I pushed on and forged ahead and took care of all the people who needed me. The stress was relentless and when I did have a moment to breathe, I resorted to mindlessly scrolling on my phone or watching silly television shows. I didn’t read the Word or spend quiet time with God or do anything else to bring me real solace. Instead, I marched on alone. An oasis in the middle of my desert was there all along and yet I refused to drink the water.
I told myself that reading the Word and praying were too much work, and I just couldn’t handle one more thing. I had forgotten that sometimes it’s perfectly fine to just lay in God’s arms and let
Him minister to my wounds.
Of course I crashed. You can’t live long without water. I fell into depression and exhaustion. It felt like a brick wall had been built between me and happiness. I could see joyful things, but I could not feel them. In reality, the brick wall was between me and God because He is the source of all my joy. How had it gotten there? Who had built this wall?
I had.
Unknowingly of course, but still it was of my own making.
God walks with us no matter what path we have created or what walls we have built.
Our God is so amazing that He welcomes us back time and time again, no matter how many times we forget.
If you are forgetful too, ask God to make your walls collapse. Not only is He waiting, He is perfectly willing (and able) to give you exactly what you need.
Here at AllMomDoes, we are here to help too. We’d be happy to pray for you. Just visit us here.
No problem is too big, no wall is too high.
God loves you and so do we.
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Read more of Ann’s contributions to AllMomDoes here.
